Typhoon Gaemi has led to the evacuation of nearly 300,000 people and caused significant transportation disruptions in eastern and southern China.
The powerful typhoon resulted in five fatalities on the nearby island of Taiwan, marking the most severe typhoon to hit the island in eight years, with winds reaching up to 190 km/h. In Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second-largest city, stormwater turned water channels into raging rivers.
In the Philippines, the typhoon exacerbated monsoon rains, leading to floods and landslides that killed 20 people.
After making landfall on mainland China on Thursday evening, the typhoon weakened, but heavy rains continued to drench vast areas of the south and east.
In Fujian province, more than 290,000 people were evacuated due to fears of flooding. Transport services, schools, markets, and public services were suspended in several towns.
In Zhejiang province, near Shanghai, residents waded through knee-deep water, clearing bicycles and uprooted trees from flooded streets, according to China Central Television (CCTV) reports. The large city of Wenzhou issued a red storm alert and evacuated more than 7,000 people.
Heavy rains are also expected in the central provinces of Jiangxi and Henan, although no injuries have been reported so far.
In Guangdong province, some railway lines were disrupted by the typhoon, adding to the transportation chaos.
The impact of Typhoon Gaemi underscores the severe weather challenges facing the region, prompting large-scale evacuations and disrupting daily life for millions of people.
