China: Doksuri downgraded from typhoon, over 30,000 evacuated from Beijing

Doksuri, the storm that tore through the Pacific last week and continued to wreak havoc in parts of China, was downgraded from a typhoon on Sunday, reported Reuters. This was aday after the Chinese weather agency issued a red alert for torrential rain in the capital city of Beijing.The warnings have since prompted the evacuations of over 31,000 people, reported the state media on Monday (July 31).

Northern China braces for floods, torrential rains

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from the potential flood areas while heavy rain also lashed Beijing where residents were urged to stay indoors. Officials have warned about floods, swelling rivers, mudslides and landslides, over the weekend.

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According to the Chinese state media report, on Monday,more than 31,000 people in high-risk areas of Beijing have been evacuated.Over 20,500 were relocated from parts of the surrounding province, Hebei’s capital Shijiazhuang.

Beijing residents have been asked not to go outside unless necessary, leavingthe usually buzzing streetsmostly deserted, as per AFP. Furthermore, the National Centre for the Performing Arts, located near Tiananmen Square, cancelled opera and musical performances scheduled for Sunday.

The warnings have also prompted authorities in the Chinese capital to close several tourist spots, including the Forbidden City, libraries, museums and parks as well as suspend sporting events, according to media reports.

Hundreds of millions of people in Beijing and surrounding provinces remained under red alert – the highest level – for heavy rains, issued on Saturday.

“Authorities should closely monitor the weather, update forecasts for rainfall and water levels, and strengthen consultation, research and information transmission,” said China’s Ministry of Water Resources, on its social media WeChat account.

The ministry also lifted emergency warnings about the potential for floods to the second-highest level for Beijing, Tianjin and the surrounding Hebei province. However, it did warn that several rivers in the region were expected to flood, reported Reuters.

China issues warning for third typhoon in three weeks

Chinese forecasters also warned about the approach of another storm named ‘Khanun’, which is expected to rapidly gain strength and strike China’s densely populated coast, next week, reported Reuters. But while Doksuri got downgraded from a typhoon, the Chinese weather agency updated Khanun to typhoon from tropical storm status on Sunday.

Hong Kong Airlines, on Sunday, also cancelled two flights from Japan’s Okinawa on Monday due to Khanun. The upcoming typhoon is also expected to inflict further damage to corn and other crops that have already been hit by Doksuri, said the Chinese agriculture ministry.

The storms come as China has been facing multiple extreme weather events and recently recorded the highest temperature of 52.2 degreeCelsius.

Doksuri was the most powerful typhoon to hit China this year and the second-strongest to hit the southeastern province of Fujian since 2016, where it affected as many as 880,000 people with more than 354,400 people evacuated and resettled.

(With inputs from agencies)

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