A flooded pedestrian tunnel is seen behind cordon lines after Typhoon Doksuri made landfall and brought heavy rainfall in Fuzhou, Fujian province, China July 29, 2023. cnsphoto via REUTERS
Beijing residents were advised not to venture outside due to anticipated record rains as Northern China on Sunday braced for probable floods from the Doksuri typhoon that wreaked devastation in southern parts.
Doksuri is one of the fiercest storms to hit China in recent years and has forced hundreds of thousands to flee in the southern province of Fujian due to floods, despite the fact that it was downgraded from a typhoon earlier in the day.
China’s Ministry of Water Resources lifted emergency warnings about the potential for floods to the second-highest level for Beijing, Tianjin and the surrounding Hebei province, adding that several rivers in the region were expected to flood.
More than 20,500 people in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei, have been evacuated due to concern about potential flooding, state media said. Thousands were also evacuated in Beijing on Saturday.
“Authorities should closely monitor the weather, update forecasts for rainfall and water levels, and strengthen consultation, research and information transmission,” the ministry said on its WeChat account.
After pummelling the Philippines and Taiwan, Doksuri hit China on Friday, ripping through Fujian province and coastal areas.
As of Saturday night, it had affected 1.46 million people in Fujian, with more than 363,000 forced to evacuate and over 3.1 billion yuan ($430 million) in direct economic losses caused, state media said.
Social media posts showed emergency workers clearing fallen trees and debris from landslides, as well as people wading in thigh-high flood waters.
Forecasters also warned that Khanun, upgraded to typhoon from tropical storm status on Sunday, was approaching and was set to strike China’s densely populated coast this week.
Hong Kong Airlines announced on Sunday that two flights to Japan’s Okinawa on Monday would be cancelled due to Khanun.
Khanun could inflict further damage to corn and other crops that have already been hit by Doksuri, the Chinese agriculture ministry said on Sunday.