Tropical Storm Bailu paralyzes life in China

Tropical Storm Bailu has killed two people in Philippines and Taiwan and now it hits south China coast.

The storm made a second landfall in China’s Fujian province on Sunday with maximum winds weakening to 90 kph (55 mph), the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

More than 48,000 people were evacuated before Typhoon Bailu made landfall in China early Sunday, China’s state media agency Xinhua reported.

Fourteen tourists were among those trapped after the landslide in Hualien County. About 450 people were evacuated around the island and 12,000 households were without power late Saturday afternoon.

Flood prevention official in the city of Zhangzhou, Xie Dongming said “we have prepared rescue teams and equipment in key areas — 356 technical teams, 297 construction squads, 141 rescue boats, and 75 rubber dinghies as well as materials such as life jackets and buoys.”

He further added that 9,926 fishing vessels were also moved before the typhoon hit eastern China’s Fujian Province with maximum sustained winds of 90 kph (56 mph).

Tropical storms and typhoons, which gather strength from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, hit Taiwan, China, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam from June through November each year.

Tropical Storm Bailu brought heavy rain and winds up to 118 kilometers (73 miles) per hour as it crossed the southern half of the island.