Typhoon Morakot has slammed into the eastern province of Fujian, killing one person so far. Close to a million people there and the adjacent province of Zhejiang have been evacuated.
Morakot made landfall in Beibi Town in Xiapu County on Sunday afternoon. It packed winds up to 12 kilometers an hour in its eye. Before its landing, the eighth typhoon to hit the country this year already brought continuous downpours and strong winds in Fujian and Zhejiang.
Five houses were destroyed as the typhoon brought rainfall of 700 millimeters to Wenzhou city in Zhejiang. Four adults and a 4-year-old boy were buried in debris. The adults survived, but emergency treatment failed to save the child.
Heading north after landing, the typhoon is expected to bring heavy rainfall to Shanghai and the Taihu Lake region.
In preparation for the typhoon's arrival, Shanghai released stored water from inland rivers to reduce levels by up to 40 centimeters.
The water level of the Taihu Lake has been above the warning level for 11 consecutive days. And the local flood control authorities are keeping an eye on the lake 24 hours a day. They are collecting information on the water level every five minutes.
Before hitting south and eastern China, typhoon Morakot landed in Taiwan Friday night, bringing the worst flooding in the southern part of the island in five decades. In some places, the water was almost two stories high.
The typhoon left three people dead and 35 missing in Taiwan.
(CCTV August 10, 2009)
