Typhoon Dolphin triggers mass evacuations, disrupts flights in Eastern China

A nine-year-old boy from Wenling in Zhejiang was missing after reportedly being swept into the sea. No deaths had been officially confirmed by Chinese authorities as of Monday

By Moses Okorie

More than one million people have been evacuated across eastern China as Typhoon Dolphin swept through the region, bringing torrential rain, powerful winds and severe disruption to transportation.

Shanghai was among the areas worst affected, with nearly 1,000 flights cancelled on Monday as authorities stepped up emergency measures to protect residents from the storm.

Although Dolphin has weakened to a tropical storm, authorities have warned that heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides could continue until Wednesday as the system moves north.

The typhoon was earlier placed under China’s highest-level red alert after becoming the strongest storm to hit the country this year.

Dolphin struck Yuhuan in Zhejiang Province at about 17:30 local time on Sunday with maximum winds of around 150km/h (94mph), before making a second landfall near Wenzhou about an hour later, according to Chinese meteorological authorities.

Forecasters predicted heavy rainfall across Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Henan and Shandong provinces, as well as Shanghai.

Authorities have urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities, while several tourist attractions have been closed as a precaution.

Parts of Shanghai Disneyland and Legoland were among the attractions affected, while viewing platforms along the Bund waterfront were also shut.

Images broadcast by Chinese state media showed floodwaters covering streets and entering businesses in Shanghai’s former French Concession. Residents were seen moving through water that reached their ankles in some areas.

Meanwhile, state media reported that a nine-year-old boy from Wenling in Zhejiang was missing after reportedly being swept into the sea. No deaths had been officially confirmed by Chinese authorities as of Monday.

Zhejiang is expected to experience some of the heaviest rainfall, with certain areas forecast to receive between 250mm and 500mm over the next few days.

In Hangzhou, the provincial capital, authorities waived parking charges at public facilities to encourage motorists to seek safe shelter during the storm.

Wenzhou alone evacuated about 900,000 residents and opened more than 1,000 emergency shelters, while approximately 390,000 people were moved to safety in Taizhou.

In Fujian Province, maritime authorities suspended dozens of ferry services and halted more than 100 offshore construction projects because of dangerous weather conditions.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV said Dolphin had travelled roughly 6,000km before making landfall, giving the storm an unusually long lifespan compared with a typical typhoon.

The broadcaster also described the storm as having a particularly large circulation and a strong capacity to generate intense rainfall.

Despite the weakening of the storm, authorities have maintained emergency response measures across eastern China, warning residents to remain alert as continued rainfall could worsen flooding and trigger landslides in vulnerable areas.