Typhoon Gaemi weakens as it moves through China, but leaves 34 dead in the Philippines

What it was Typhoon Gaemi He was heading to the interior on Friday China after weakening to a severe tropical storm and making landfall on the eastern coast last night.

The storm toppled trees, flooded streets and damaged crops in Chinabut so far, no fatalities or major damage have been reported. Five people died in Taiwan, which Gaemi crossed on Thursday at typhoon strength before heading China across open waters.

However, the worst loss of life occurred in a country where Gaemi It happened initially, but it did not affect him directly: PhilippinesThe rising death toll has reached 34, local authorities said Friday. The typhoon exacerbated monsoon season rains in the Southeast Asian country, triggering landslides and severe flooding that sent people fleeing to rooftops as waters rose around them.

China

Gaemi weakened into a tropical storm severe after making landfall Thursday afternoon in coastal Fujian province, but is still expected to bring heavy rain in the coming days as it moves northwest toward Jiangxi, Hubei and Henan provinces.

About 85 hectares (210 acres) of crops were damaged in Fujian province, and economic losses are estimated at 11.5 million yuan (US$1.6 million), according to Chinese media reports. More than 290,000 people were relocated due to the storm.

In other parts of ChinaHeavy rains that fell for several days in Gansu province have left one person dead and three missing in the northwest of the country, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Taiwan

Residents and business owners swept mud and mopped up water Friday after severe flooding swept cars and scooters through streets in parts of southern and central New York. Taiwan.

Five people were killed, several by falling trees and one by a landslide that fell on his home. More than 650 people were injured, the emergency operations center said.

On a visit to the island’s badly damaged southern port of Kaohsiung, President Lai Ching-te praised the city’s efforts to improve the flood control since a typhoon in 2009 produced a similar amount of rain and killed 681 people, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.

Lai announced that 20,000 New Taiwan dollars (US$610) would be given to households in severely flooded areas.

Philippines

At least 34 people have died in Philippinesmainly due to flooding and landslides caused by several days of monsoon rains that intensified when the typhoon — called Carina in the Philippines — passed along the archipelago’s east coast.

Among the victims are 11 people in metropolitan Manila, where widespread flooding trapped people on their rooftops and upper floors of their homes, police said. Some people drowned or were electrocuted in their flooded communities.

Earlier this week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered authorities to speed up efforts to deliver food and other aid to isolated rural villages, saying people may not have eaten for days.

The bodies of a pregnant woman and three children were unearthed Wednesday after a landslide buried a house in the rural mountain town of Agoncillo in Batangas province.