China is preparing to deal with the remnants of Haikui after the typhoon’s direct hit on Taiwan left hundreds of thousands of homes without power.
(Bloomberg) — China is preparing to deal with the remnants of Haikui after the typhoon’s direct hit on Taiwan left hundreds of thousands of homes without power.
China downgraded Haikui to a severe tropical storm from a typhoon on Monday, saying it would make landfall in Fujian and Guangdong early Tuesday. It had a yellow alert in place, the second highest storm warning in its four-tiered system.
Both provinces issued alerts for strong winds and potential flooding, and rail authorities across eastern China warned that services for hundreds of routes may be disrupted.
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In Taiwan, almost 250,000 households saw power outages at some point over the weekend, mainly in the southern half of the island. Electricity had been restored to most of them.
More than 260 domestic and international flights were canceled around the island as Taiwan suffered its first direct hit by a tropical cyclone in four years. Schools and offices were also shut across the south. There were 44 reports of injuries, according to the Central News Agency, citing government figures.
Haikui is now crossing the Taiwan Strait toward southern China. Hong Kong had its lowest alert in place for the storm, which the weather service said was some 540 kilometers (335 miles) east of the city as of 1 p.m. Monday. Haikui was packing sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour near its center.
Haikui comes after Hong Kong took a hit from Typhoon Saola, the strongest storm to affect the city since at least Mangkhut in 2018. The city returned to work Monday as the airport, businesses and public transportation resumed operations, while street cleaners cleared debris and uprooted trees.
Saola caused 872 million yuan ($120 million) of damage in Fujian, state broadcaster China Central Television reported. Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated in Fujian and Guangdong.
–With assistance from Xiao Zibang.
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