Tropical Storm Podul made landfall in China’s southeastern Fujian province early Thursday, unleashing heavy rains after crossing Taiwan, where one person remains missing.
Ahead of its arrival, which occurred shortly after midnight, authorities in southern China evacuated approximately 15,000 people from coastal areas. The storm prompted precautionary measures in Hong Kong and Macao, where schools were closed. Flooding was reported on some streets in Macao, while Hong Kong suspended court proceedings and warned residents to avoid the coastline.
In Taiwan, which bore the initial impact of the storm as a typhoon on Wednesday, cleanup operations are underway. The storm left one person missing after being swept out to sea, injured about 100 others, and forced 8,000 people into temporary shelters. Utility crews worked to restore electricity, addressing public criticism over slow responses to previous storms.
Meanwhile, other parts of China are contending with severe weather. In the southwestern Yunnan province, heavy rains on Wednesday triggered a landslide that has left one person dead and three others missing, according to state media.
Separately, near Beijing, the death toll from major flooding two weeks ago has risen to at least 45 after the body of a missing village official was discovered Wednesday. The 51-year-old official reportedly died while attempting to evacuate elderly residents. The Beijing Communist Party Committee announced Thursday that both she and her husband, who also perished in the flood, were posthumously recognized as “Outstanding Communist Party Members of Beijing.”
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