Typhoon 'Delphine' forces evacuation of over a million people in China
Typhoon Delphine weakened over the weekend after making landfall in China's Zhejiang province, but not before triggering the evacuation of more than a million people and the cancellation of over a thousand flights across eastern and central China.
Eastern and central China experienced significant disruption over the weekend as Typhoon Delphine made landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday before gradually losing strength. Despite the weakening, the national meteorological center has warned that heavy rainfall will continue in parts of eastern and central China.
Warnings remain in effect
On Monday, authorities issued a flash flood warning for eastern and southern Zhejiang, according to broadcaster CCTV. In Shanghai, public transport services were suspended, including numerous train cancellations, while the city's two main airports canceled a combined 943 flights.
Extreme weather is also expected to affect northern China this week. Five districts of Beijing declared a red alert on Monday due to heavy rain, warning residents of risks of landslides and flooding.
Over a million people evacuated
At the height of the storm over the weekend, several regions across eastern and central China declared the highest level of alert. During that period, more than 1,000 flights were canceled and over a million people were evacuated as a precaution.
The port city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province saw the largest evacuation, with more than 900,000 residents moved to safety, CCTV reported on Monday. Authorities also evacuated over 150,000 people in Fujian province and more than 200,000 in Shanghai, according to the Xinhua news agency.
