Flooding caused by the retreat of Typhoon Haikui hit transportation and forced evacuations in China

BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Reuters) – Heavy rains from the remnants of Typhoon Haikui lashed southeastern China early on Wednesday, causing floods and saturation, forcing cities in Fujian province to halt subway services, close schools and evacuate tens of thousands.

Meteorological officials said the rains broke records set 12 years ago in the provincial capital Fuzhou, prompting warnings that 49 reservoirs had exceeded flood limits.

More than 36,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, power and communication lines have been damaged, and some 4,195 hectares (10,366 acres) of farmland have been flooded, causing losses that the state broadcaster said amounted to 552.1 million yuan ($75 million).

Video images posted on social media showed floodwaters pouring into the streets of Fuzhou and the city of Fuqing to the south, destroying motorcycles and rubbish bins and stranding cars.

Media reports showed submerged cars, surrounded shops and apartments, as well as landslides and mudslides.

The National Meteorological Administration said Fuzhou received up to 554 mm (1.8 ft) of cumulative rain on Tuesday, an hourly record near 150 mm (0.5 ft).

And official media said that this number exceeds the size of Hurricane Doxuri, which hit Fujian Province in late July, causing floods and losses amounting to two billion dollars.

Fuzhou closed subway lines and suspended train services, while schools closed for a second day.

The state-backed newspaper “The Paper” quoted provincial official Chen Yunong as saying that floods have hit many cities in Fujian, exposing the fragility of urban sanitation and other infrastructure.

Chen said waterlogging should be addressed in both old cities and new urban areas.

Putian and Quanzhou were among six cities elsewhere in Fujian that were rated at risk of floods and landslides. The provincial government has asked local authorities to prepare to relocate people from areas likely to be hardest hit.

Rains are expected to continue until Friday in the central and southern parts of the province, as Typhoon Haikoi hit land early Tuesday, before losing strength and becoming a tropical storm.

($1 = 7.3119 CNY)

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