China bracing for super typhoon Saomai

China bracing for super typhoon Saomai


Saomai strengthened to a super typhoon Wednesday morning, and is currently sweeping west-northwestward around 20 mph. Landfall is anticipated near midnight tonight, U.S. Eastern time, along the Chinese coast well south of Shanghai between Wenzhou and Fuzhou China

Currently packing estimated maximum sustained winds of 160 mph with gusts to 195 mph (this would be a category 5 storm if it was in the Atlantic Basin), Saomai will be the strongest landfalling typhoon this season along the Chinese coast. Wenzhou, with a population estimated around 2.5 million to Xiapu, China could take a direct hit from Saomai's eyewall. Coastal water surges up to 24 feet are possible as Saomai makes landfall. Major structural damage, flooding and power outages are likely as this monster storm roars ashore. The threat for a major loss of life with this system are possible.

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Another monster.... meanwhile all quiet in this neck of the woods...

Mass evacuations are taking place in China in preparations for this super typhon. Prayers go out to all that will soon be affected.

source

Beijing (dpa) - China has evacuated about 500,000 people from vulnerable areas of two eastern coastal provinces before the expected arrival of powerful typhoon Saomai on Thursday afternoon or evening, state media said.

At least 266,000 people were evacuated in Fujian province and 200,000 in neighbouring Zhejiang as Saomai strengthened into a super-typhoon on Wednesday night, the semi-official China News Service quoted meteorologists as saying.

Winds near the centre of the typhoon could be as high as force 17, the highest on the recently extended Beaufort scale, the agency said.

Just a personal thought that El Nino may be interferring with the formations of storms in the Gulf Coast areas. And storms are now being created in the south Pacific.

China has evacuated 1.3 million people in the path of this super storm. Seems like they have their act together as opposed to the the people running the evacuation during Hurrican Katherina.

source

BEIJING, China -- Authorities have evacuated 1.3 million people from their homes in southeastern China as a super typhoon swirled towards them.

Typhoon Saomai -- which has already dumped torrential rains on Taiwan -- made landfall Thursday afternoon, according to Taiwan's central weather bureau.

The typhoon had been gathering strength as it neared China, and is a category four storm, packing sustained winds of 216 kilometers per hour (134 miles per hour).

Here is another article on the storm which pretty much reports the same thing, except:

The Chinese weather service is forecasting three days of torrential rains as the storm moves inland.

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My concern past the obvious destructiveness of the storm, is the flooding that may occur from three days of rain. Its that whole adding insult to injury scenario. (my heart goes out to the people over there.)

Can add this super typhoon into the tropical systems are getting stronger folder. Hard to imagine what it would be like with a 25 ft storm surge coming in and 140+ mph winds.

Here is an update on the storm:

source

Death toll from Typhoon Saomai at 104
By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer

BEIJING - The death toll from the most powerful storm to strike China in five decades rose to at least 104 Friday, with another 190 people missing, after Typhoon Saomai destroyed thousands of homes and capsized ships.

Authorities evacuated more than 1.5 million people from flood-prone areas before the storm hit land Thursday evening on the southeastern coast. Damage was expected to be widespread in areas that were still recovering from Tropical Storm Bilis, which killed more than 600 people last month.

And of course lurking in the water is Tropical Storm Bopha, which I am sure causes some concern. Its like all the storm activity has switched to the Pacific Ocean. The Atlantic has been really quite. (which for me is almost as surprising as last years hurricane season.)

EDIT: to add-- Hey Regenmacher, you posted right before I did! Isnt it odd how the number of dead is different in each story. I am thinking they either do not have or are not reporting the correct number of people actually dead and/or missing. I think things are still too hectic to really be sure--

[edit on 8/11/2006 by sylvrshadow]

Originally posted by sylvrshadow
EDIT: to add-- Hey Regenmacher, you posted right before I did!

Isnt it odd how the number of dead is different in each story.

China's state run media has a habit of under reporting actual death counts, and they've just passed some new draconian censorship laws in regards to reporting disasters.


Saomai is still flooding the mainland and there rescue efforts are probably not fully mobilized either, so the count is bound to increase.

It is starting to look like hell over there. And I think the weather is only to get worse world wide.