Latest news with #Danas
Hans India
a day ago
- Climate
- Hans India
China issues yellow alert for Typhoon Wipha
Beijing: China's national observatory on Saturday issued a yellow alert for Typhoon Wipha as the sixth typhoon of the year is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the southern coastal regions of the country. The typhoon, observed at 19.9 degrees north latitude and 120.2 degrees east longitude at 5 am. Saturday, is moving northwestward at a speed of 15-20 km per hour, according to the National Meteorological Centre. It is anticipated to make landfall along the coastal areas from Shenzhen City in south China's Guangdong Province to Wenchang City in Hainan Province during the afternoon or evening on Sunday, the meteorological centre said. China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system for typhoons, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue, Xinhua news agency reported. Authorities have mobilised a comprehensive emergency response, deploying rescue vessels, anti-pollution ships, and helicopters on standby, with all efforts focused on safeguarding coastal communities and ensuring the safety of nearby residents. Earlier on July 9, Typhoon Danas — the fourth typhoon of the year — made its third landfall in the coastal area of Ruian City, in east China's Zhejiang Province. This landfall followed Danas' initial strike in Taiwan early on July 7, and its second landfall in Dongtou District of Wenzhou, also in Zhejiang, on July 8. Last month, multiple Chinese authorities had convened to implement precautionary measures in anticipation of Typhoon Wutip, which was expected to bring heavy rainfall to the southern regions of the country. Wutip—the first typhoon of the year—made its first landfall in Dongfang City in south China's island province of Hainan on June 13. Due to the heavy rainfall triggered by the typhoon, the Ministry of Water Resources had activated a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in Zhejiang Province along China's eastern coast. The ministry had also urged local authorities to closely monitor weather conditions and effectively utilise water conservancy infrastructure to protect lives and property.
First Post
4 days ago
- Climate
- First Post
Flash Floods in China Sweep Away Cars, Trigger Mass Evacuations
Flash Floods in China Sweep Away Cars, Trigger Mass Evacuations | Vantage with Palki Sharma Flash Floods in China Sweep Away Cars, Trigger Mass Evacuations | Vantage with Palki Sharma Flash floods triggered by torrential rains and Typhoon Danas have swept through parts of China, submerging roads and sweeping away vehicles in Shaanxi province. Widespread evacuations are underway as authorities respond to the crisis spanning over 1,400 km. Also on Vantage Shots – - Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts, shooting lava high into the sky - Viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng turns one in Thailand zoo - On this day in 1991, Boris Yeltsin was sworn in as Russia's first elected president. He later appointed Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister in 1999. See More
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
China suffers $7.6 billion in losses from natural disasters in H1 2025
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows buildings and roads are half submerged in floodwaters after heavy rainfalls, in Rongjiang county, Guizhou province, China June 24, 2025. China Daily via REUTERS/File Photo BEIJING - Natural disasters across China in the first half of 2025 brought direct economic losses of 54.11 billion yuan ($7.55 billion) and affected more than 23 million people, an official from the emergency response ministry said on Tuesday. A powerful earthquake in Tibet, deadly landslides in the southwestern provinces and widespread flooding in the southern regions were among the most damaging events. Among the 23 million people affected by natural disasters, 307 died or are missing, and 620,000 faced emergency evacuation, Shen Zhanli, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Emergency Management, told a press conference. Some 29,600 houses were destroyed, a 28.7% increase from a year ago, while 2.19 million hectares of crops sustained damage. The economic losses were 41.9% less than the same period last year, according to a Reuters calculation, when flooding, drought and extreme temperatures cost China 93.16 billion yuan, the highest half-year figure since 2019. Floods caused the most damage, accounting for over 90% of this year's total losses at 51 billion yuan, the ministry said. To mitigate the impact from increasingly frequent extreme rainfall, China has expanded its economic safety net for segments of its population affected by flood control schemes, including pledges of direct compensation from the central government and payments for livestock losses. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Business Singapore financial sector growth doubles in 2024, assets managed cross $6 trillion in a first: MAS Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw acts against 4 law firms and 1 lawyer over seized properties Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Singapore SJI International resumes overseas trips amid ongoing probe into student's death in Maldives in 2024 Singapore Sengkang-Punggol LRT gets 15.8 per cent capacity boost with new trains Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years The world's No.2 economy is facing growing threats from extreme weather, which meteorologists link to climate change. Large swathes of the country have been grappling with torrential rains and extreme heat in recent weeks, with ageing flood defences and infrastructure gaps - such as limited access to air conditioning - exposed. Dozens of rivers in southwestern China exceeded safe levels last week while more than 10,000 people were evacuated in the remnants of former typhoon Danas. Meanwhile, surging demand for air conditioning due to sweltering heat has stretched China's power grid, pushing the national maximum power load to a record high. The ministry warned that flood and typhoon prevention will remain challenging from the second half of July to first half of August, as rainfall becomes most concentrated and intense in the north and typhoon activity intensifies. REUTERS
RTHK
5 days ago
- Climate
- RTHK
'Danas severe weather preparations absolutely correct'
'Danas severe weather preparations absolutely correct' John Lee says the interdepartmental committee had hoped to minimise severe-weather risks with its advance preparations. File photo: RTHK Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday an interdepartmental committee was absolutely correct to have made advance preparations for potential severe weather conditions last week. The steering committee chaired by Chief Secretary Eric Chan issued warnings ahead of time and suspended classes at day schools on Friday, after the observatory predicted that there could be heavy rain and thunderstorms. Speaking ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee noted that the preparatory work also included having the Drainage Services Department carry out inspections and clearance efforts at locations prone to flooding and the Highways Department review the flood warning system. "I understand that through advance preparatory work, government departments hope to minimise the risks and they decided to suspend schools," Lee said. "The operation carried out by the committee led by the chief secretary in coordinating various departments to make advance preparations for tropical storm Danas, in this regard, was absolutely correct." Lee noted that the administration has heard different views in the community about the committee's decision to suspend classes, saying that the government will draw on the experience and give full consideration to all matters in dealing with extreme weather. He added that the administration would continue to carry out similar preparatory work in the future.
HKFP
6 days ago
- Climate
- HKFP
Ex-Hong Kong Observatory director defends class cancellations 18 hours ahead amid rainstorm forecast
A former director of the Hong Kong Observatory has defended the government's decision last week to cancel classes pre-emptively, saying that the move reflected 'respect for people's lives.' In an interview with Commercial Radio on Monday, Lam Chiu-ying commented on the Education Bureau's announcement on Thursday – when the red rainstorm warning was issued – to suspend all classes the following day. The announcement was made just before noon on Thursday, around 18 hours before a school day would begin on Friday. However, the Observatory recorded almost no rain on Friday, sparking criticism that the government had jumped the gun. Lam, who was the Observatory's director from 2003 to 2009, said he observed that the current government administration has been putting more work into disaster prevention compared to previous administrations. He said there had also been significant progress in coordination across government departments compared to his time as the Observatory's head. 'I think the decision showed respect for people's lives. This really is about how you weigh the importance of safety and other stuff,' Lam added in Cantonese. Asked how he felt when it turned out to be good weather on Friday, Lam said this reflected that 'things were unpredictable' and that 'humans cannot conquer nature.' 'Better safe than sorry' Hong Kong saw the red rainstorm warning issued three times within the span of 24 hours from late Wednesday to Thursday amid the impact of Storm Danas. Danas had lashed China prior to that, with torrential monsoon rain causing deadly landslides and flash floods. At noon on Friday, Chief Secretary Eric Chan – who heads the government's committee on handling extreme weather – stood by the decision to suspend classes 18 hours ahead of time. In a lengthy Facebook post, he said the Observatory's analysis predicted a daily rainfall exceeding 390 millimetres on Thursday and Friday. The figure would be the fifth-highest daily rainfall on record in Hong Kong, or about one-sixth of the city's total rainfall in one year. He acknowledged the difficulty of forecasting rainfall compared to storms and that there was a risk of inaccuracy when making early warnings. But the government's responsibility was to protect lives, he said, adding that disruption to the public would be minimal because many schools were already starting summer holidays. 'So we decided to make an early warning… we believe it is better to be safe than sorry,' Chan said, adding that doing so would minimise chaos at the last minute. In the comments on Chan's post, some called the decision to cancel school so far in advance rash. It caused disappointment for students who were looking forward to their graduation ceremonies and other school-wide events, they said.
