TYPHOON Gaemi has reached southeastern China after crossing the Taiwan Strait.
The typhoon has triggered warnings of rising river flows, flash floods and waterlogging in cities and provinces hit by extreme rains in recent weeks.
The third and most powerful typhoon to hit China’s east coast this year, Gaemi made landfall in Fujian province at 7:50 p.m. (11:50 GMT) Thursday, after lashing Taiwan with winds of up to 227 kilometers per hour (141 miles per hour), among the strongest recorded in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Prior to its arrival, 240,800 people in Fujian had been evacuated.
Despite weakening slightly since making landfall in Putian, Fujian, a city of more than 3 million people, Gaemi and its giant storm bands are expected to dump heavy rain on at least 10 Chinese provinces in the next few days.
Gaemi’s arrival has been compared to last year’s Typhoon Doksuri, which triggered historic flooding as far away as Beijing and caused nearly US$30 billion in national losses.
Also read: One Dead After Typhoon Doksuri Hits Philippines
Authorities said water levels in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the vast freshwater lakes of Poyang and Dongting in central China could rise, returning to dangerous levels seen in early July after intense summer rains.
Beijing warned that with its high moisture content, Gaemi could cause heavy rain in the Chinese capital, about 2,000 km (1,242 miles) north of Putian, even as the storm weakened to a tropical depression.
Authorities warned Gaemi’s rains could cause flash floods and waterlogging, especially in northern China, where the ground remains saturated after being battered by a passing storm system earlier this week.
Also read: The impact of Typhoon Hinnamnor in China is widespread
Gaemi has worsened previous seasonal rains in the Philippines, where the death toll has risen to 22 with at least three people still missing, police said.
The Philippine coast guard chief said the oil tanker, MT Terra Nova, carrying about 1.4 million liters (370,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil, sank off Bataan province on Thursday, and rescuers saved 15 of the 16 crew members.
Gaemi Causes Deadly Damage in Taiwan
Read also: Typhoon Gaemi Causes Major Damage in Taiwan and the Philippines
In Taiwan, Gaemi killed three people, triggered flooding and sank a cargo ship after making landfall on Wednesday night.
Parts of southern Taiwan are expected to have recorded as much as 2,200 mm (87 inches) of rain since Tuesday. The storm has cut power to about half a million households, although most have since come back online, utility company Taipower said.
In addition to the three fatalities, the typhoon in Taiwan injured 380 people, the government said.
Taiwan’s fire department says a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship with nine Myanmar nationals on board sank off the coast of the southern port city of Kaohsiung.
Three of them have been found safe on the shore, Taiwan’s coast guard said.
Taiwanese television stations showed images of flooded streets in cities and counties across the island.
Offices, schools and financial markets were closed for a second day on Thursday. Trains were suspended until 3pm (07:00 GMT), and all domestic flights and 195 international flights were cancelled. (Al Jazeera/Z-3)
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