Thousands flee homes as remnants of Typhoon Doksuri lash China’s capital

Tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes in Beijing as the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri dumped record rainfall on the city and grounded flights on Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Besides Beijing, heavy rain continued to soak the neighbouring city of Tianjin as well as Hebei province in the wake of Doksuri, which was downgraded to a tropical depression over the weekend.

Three of the five rivers that make up the Hai river basin rose to dangerous levels on Monday. Some houses were washed into the Yongding river, state media reported.

Doksuri is one of the strongest storms to hit China in years and caused widespread flooding over the weekend in the southern province of Fujian, driving hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

Heavy rain continued to soak the capital as well as Hebei, Tianjin and eastern Shanxi as Doksuri dissipated over northern China, the China Meteorological Administration said.

Throughout June and July, cumulative precipitation in Beijing hit 306.8mm, 21 per cent higher than the average for those months when summer storms roll in, media reported. The rainfall was 10 per cent higher than the same period last year.

Average rainfall in Beijing overnight reached 140.7mm, with the maximum recorded rainfall in Fangshan area hitting 500.4mm, according to the city’s observatory. The observatory kept a red alert - the higest warning - for heavy rainfall in place while Beijing Hydrology Station upgraded its flood warning with more rain and river flooding forecast.

Evacuation

More than 31,000 people were evacuated from their homes, work at more than 4,000 construction sites was halted, almost 20,000 buildings were inspected for damage, and scenic spots in the city were closed, media reported.

Both airports in the capital cancelled more than 180 flights on Monday morning, with hundreds more delayed, according to flight tracking app Flight Master.

Railway authorities dispatched workers to send food including instant noodles, eggs and ham, and drinking water to train passengers who were stuck overnight. There was no reported damage or casualties, state media said, but south of Beijing, Doksuri’s impact was more pronounced.

In northern Hebei province, a driver was missing after two trucks fell off a collapsed bridge in Baoding city on Sunday, while a section of a railway bridge for freight in Shijiazhuang city was washed away in a swollen river, media reported.

While Doksuri continues to taper off, forecasters warned that typhoon Khanun was approaching and was set to strike China's densely populated coast this week.

Authorities said Khanun could inflict further damage to corn and other crops that have already been hit by Doksuri. - Reuters

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