Typhoon Gaemi lashes China, affecting over 600,000 in Fujian

BEIJING – Typhoon Gaemi pummelled towns in China’s coastal Fujian province on July 26 with heavy rain and strong winds as the most powerful storm to hit the country in 2024 began its widely watched trek into the populous interior.

The storm has affected almost 630,000 people in the province so far, with nearly half of them having to be relocated, Xinhua news agency reported. Earlier this week, it killed dozens of people as it swept through Taiwan and the Philippines.

Gaemi was packing winds of up to 100.8kmh near its centre, easing slightly from 118.8kmh logged on the night of July 25 when it landed in the Fujian city of Putian.

While Gaemi has been downgraded to a tropical storm because of slower wind speeds, its vast cloud-bands remain a significant flood risk, particularly to rivers in central China already elevated due to summer rains.

Hours ahead of the typhoon’s arrival, the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo, helmed by President Xi Jinping, held a special meeting on flood control and urged cadres across the country to protect lives.

Efforts must be made to prevent breaches of major rivers and the collapse of large and key medium-sized reservoirs, Xinhua quoted a readout of the meeting as saying.

Due to the typhoon, 72 townships across Fujian recorded accumulated precipitation exceeding 250mm, with the highest reaching 512.8mm, local weather bureaus said.

By late July 26, Gaemi is expected to reach Jiangxi province, home to China’s largest freshwater lake, Poyang.

Forecasters warned that as many as 10 provinces could be affected, including Henan, a province with a population of over 100 million in central China.

Henan’s meteorological bureau expects Gaemi to start ushering in rain on the night of July 26.

Into next week, Gaemi’s impact is expected as far north as the provinces of Jilin and Liaoning, both of which are still grappling with overflowing rivers and waterlogged cities following a powerful cluster of summer storms a few days ago.

Scientists have warned that global warming is worsening tropical storms, making them less frequent but much more intense, according to a report published on July 26.

On July 25, Gaemi

flooded several Taiwanese cities and towns

, injuring more than 700 people and killing seven as well as sinking a freighter off the island’s coast.

Rescuers in inflatable boats pulled nearly 1,000 people out of flood waters, the Taiwan government said.

In the Philippines, the storm killed 32 people, with the capital Manila declaring a “state of calamity” after widespread flooding. A marine tanker carrying industrial fuel also sank in rough seas off the Philippines. REUTERS