Shanghai cancels 1,300 flights as China prepares for Typhoon Dolphin

Police officers check the mooring lines of a vessel ahead of Typhoon Dolphin in Beilun District of Ningbo City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, on Aug. 7 [AP Photo]

Shanghai’s two airports canceled more than 1,300 flights and authorities relocated some 300,000 people in surrounding regions as China prepared for Typhoon Dolphin, after the storm brought heavy rains to northern Taiwan.

The outer bands of the storm on Saturday hit northern Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, bringing rain. Some Taiwanese airlines also canceled their flights to China Sunday.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds were estimated at about 162 kilometers per hour (101 mph) as of yesterday morning. It brought heavy rains, creating a risk of severe flooding and landslides, and was expected to hit Zhejiang province and northern parts of neighboring Fujian province late yesterday.

Forecasters in China predicted that areas could see 200-400 mm (7.9–15.7 inches) of rainfall over the next few days. Authorities are warning of severe landslide risks in Zhejiang.

Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports respectively also canceled about 60% of Sunday’s expected flights, according to the Paper, Shanghai’s state media.

On Saturday evening, authorities in Zhejiang evacuated some 390,000 people in the city of Taizhou. Authorities in Shanghai evacuated some 30,000 plus from riskier areas.

Zhejiang authorities also suspended all water-based activities, including ferries and cruises.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Dolphin moved over Japan’s southern remote islands Friday, causing a main airport on Okinawa to close and grounding all flights in and out of the island, while sending hundreds of people to take shelter at evacuation centers.

The typhoon was just north of the main island of Okinawa with maximum winds of 144 kph (89 mph) on Friday afternoon, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Three men in their 70s were slightly injured — two of them were caught in the wind and a third one fell from a stool, apparently blown off by the wind while preparing for the storm, the Okinawa prefecture said.

The Naha Airport on Okinawa Island said it closed Friday and all domestic and international flights in and out of Naha have been canceled.

As of midday Friday, 240 people had taken shelter at evacuation centers across Okinawa, the prefecture said.

With Dolphin expected to affect part of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu, residents whose houses were damaged by last week’s deadly earthquake were placing blue tarps on roofs and walls to prevent water damage.

The agency predicted strong winds, heavy rain and high waves in the Okinawa region through yesterday, urging residents in the area to stay indoors.

The storm weakened in Japan over the weekend as it headed toward China’s eastern coast, where it was expected to make landfall this morning. MDT/AP