Shanghai, China – Typhoon Kaemi weakened into a severe tropical storm Tuesday after slamming into southern China and Taiwan with strong winds and torrential rains, days after a previous storm killed more than 600 people in the region.
Kaemi, this season’s seventh typhoon, roared ashore Tuesday afternoon at Jinjiang in coastal Fujian province, according to state media and the website of the provincial Water Resources Commission.
By 7:30 p.m., its winds were gusting at 67 mph. The storm was expected to weaken as it moved northwest at about 12 mph, the website said.
Still, forecasters warned of heavy rain and a risk of flooding in the area, about halfway between Hong Kong and Shanghai.
More than two dozen flights out of Fujian’s capital, Fuzhou, were canceled Tuesday, and state television showed rivers rising and heavy surf along the coastline.
Fujian had stockpiled food, clothing, tents and medical supplies and evacuated about 430,000 people before the typhoon arrived, said an official from the provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, who refused to give his name.
“We expect the typhoon to start heading inland around nightfall,” the official said.
An estimated 44,000 fishing boats were ordered into port before the storm, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. More than 3,000 soldiers were placed on standby for any rescues.
Xinhua earlier quoted Vice Premier Hui Liangyu calling for officials to closely watch rivers and reservoirs for signs of flooding and to keep an eye out for potential landslides that could bury mountain villages.
Kaemi – the Korean word for ant – comes on the heels of Tropical Storm Bilis, which pounded southern China starting July 14, triggering flooding and mudslides.
