Typhoon Dolphin has left six people injured and more than 50,000 buildings without power in Japan as authorities across East Asia step up preparations for the storm.
Japan is assessing the damage caused by Typhoon Dolphin after powerful winds swept through Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures on Saturday, disrupting electricity supplies and forcing airlines to cancel flights.
Five elderly people in Okinawa sustained non-life-threatening injuries, including three who fell because of the strong winds. Another person was injured in Kagoshima, authorities said.
The storm cut power to nearly 39,000 buildings in Kagoshima and more than 12,000 in Okinawa. ANA and Japan Airlines also cancelled domestic flights connecting Okinawa with other parts of Japan.
The typhoon had sustained winds of up to 162 kilometres per hour, with powerful gusts reaching 216 kilometres per hour.
Okinawa and Amami Island in Kagoshima Prefecture are expected to remain among the areas most affected as the storm continues moving across the region.
China is also preparing for the storm, which is expected to reach its eastern coast between late Sunday and early Monday. Authorities have placed Dolphin under an orange typhoon warning, the country’s second-highest alert.
China has also raised its emergency response level to III over concerns that heavy rainfall could trigger flooding and landslides.
The National Meteorological Center said the storm could make landfall between Zhoushan in Zhejiang province and Fuding in Fujian province, with winds near its centre expected to reach between 38 and 45 metres per second.
Forecasters expect heavy rain and strong winds to affect eastern China until August 12, including Shanghai and neighbouring provinces. Parts of eastern Zhejiang could receive more than 600 millimetres of rainfall.
Zhejiang authorities have issued their highest coastal typhoon alert, suspended port activities and cancelled 162 passenger ferry services. Fujian has also halted ferry operations.
Ningbo Lishe International Airport said it would suspend operations from 11:30 pm Saturday and cancel all flights scheduled for Sunday.
Shanghai’s Yangshan Port had already been cleared of vessels by Friday night, while some rail services across the Yangtze River Delta are expected to be suspended from Sunday.
Taiwan has also experienced travel disruptions, with 78 international flights cancelled because of the storm. Heavy rainfall is expected across northern areas, although no evacuations had been ordered as of Saturday.
China has meanwhile instructed vessels travelling through the Taiwan Strait to comply with traffic-control measures during the storm.
Taipei rejected the directive as “ridiculous”, arguing that Beijing has no authority to restrict navigation through international waters.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has asserted authority over parts of the Taiwan Strait, while Taipei and Washington reject Beijing’s territorial claims.
Goodness Anunobi
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