Deadly typhoon hits China after grinding across Taiwan
BEIJING — A typhoon pounded southeast China late Saturday, leaving more than a million homes without power after lashing Taiwan, where it downed trees and power lines, and left six people dead and four missing.
Typhoon Soudelor hit the city of Putian in Fujian province late Saturday and was expected to move across the region, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The storm earlier caused more than 3 million households in Taiwan to lose electricity, with streets strewn with fallen trees. All 279 domestic flights on the island were canceled Saturday, as well as at least 37 international flights. At least 101 people were injured in the storm.
The center of the storm made landfall in eastern Taiwan before daybreak Saturday. By mid-morning, Soudelor was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said.
The typhoon weakened later Saturday while moving away from the island in a northwesterly direction.
Strong winds and heavy rains were expected to continue in Taiwan.
Authorities in southeast China evacuated 163,000 people and ordered ships back to port ahead of the typhoon, Xinhua reported. More than 7,000 soldiers and police were on standby, authorities said.
The provincial capital of Fuzhou was battered by heavy rain and strong winds, and all flights to the city were canceled, Xinhua said. The neighboring province of Jiangxi also issued a typhoon alert.
Heavy rains were forecast through Sunday morning in the northern part of Fujian.
Even before the storm made landfall, strong winds caused power outages to more than 1.41 million household in the province, Xinhua said.
The U.S. government was sending more aid to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which was battered by Soudelor last Sunday. The typhoon snapped utility poles and toppled trees, leaving residents without electricity and running water. Food, water, dry milk, power generators and temporary shelters are expected to arrive this weekend.