Typhoon Trami wreaks havoc in east China

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Typhoon Trami wreaks havoc in east China

(Xinhua) 08:10, August 23, 2013

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Typhoon Trami, the 12th typhoon to hit China this year, has brought rainstorms and wreaked havoc in east China after landing in Fujian Province at 2:40 a.m. on Thursday.

One person was missing and 402,300 people had been evacuated in Fujian by Thursday noon, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Some 480 houses have collapsed and 33.56 km of dams are damaged. More than 80,000 hectares of farmland have been affected. A total of 95 flights were canceled, according to the headquarters.

The economic losses caused by the typhoon in the province was estimated to be about 2.078 billion yuan (336.8 million U.S. dollars).

Trami made landfall in the coastal areas of Fuqing City, packing winds of up to 126 km per hour at its center.

Heavy rains hit Ningde and Fuzhou cities from 8 a.m. Wednesday to 2 a.m. Thursday, with precipitation of more than 50 mm. Eleven counties have reported precipitation of more than 100 mm, with 338.2 mm reported in Pingtan.

Trami also brought gales and torrential rain to neighboring Zhejiang Province, affecting 593,000 people and forcing 184,443 to evacuate.

The water level of four large and medium-sized reservoirs have surpassed their danger lines, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Direct economic losses in Zhejiang was estimated to be about 405 million yuan, according to the headquarters.

The downpours have eased the lingering drought in the past month in Zhejiang.

Trami arrived in Jiangxi Province on Thursday afternoon, forcing 127 high-speed trains to suspend operation, according to railways authorities.

Trami was downgraded to tropical storm at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Heavy rain is expected to hit Fujian and Jiangxi on Thursday night and Friday, according to weather forecasts.