China evacuates one million from homes as massive storm arrives

More than a million residents in eastern China, including Shanghai, have been evacuated due to the arrival of Typhoon Dolphin, which made landfall on Sunday evening. Initially, the storm boasted maximum wind speeds of 150km/h (94 mph) when it struck Yuhuan in Zhejiang province, then re-entered the city of Wenzhou an hour later. Transportation across the region was halted, leading to the cancellation of 1,400 flights in Shanghai alone.

Initially, Chinese authorities issued a highest-level red alert for Dolphin, but by Monday morning, they had reduced it to a tropical storm. The storm is currently moving inland within China and authorities are warning of torrential rains, severe flooding, and the risk of landslides through Wednesday. Heavy rain was forecast across Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai.

Authorities have advised people to avoid outdoor activities, and several top tourist attractions, including parts of Disneyland and Legoland, as well as several viewing platforms along Shanghai's Bund, remain closed. Footage on state media shows ground-floor businesses flooded in Shanghai's former French Concession and people walking through ankle-deep waters.

A nine-year-old boy from Wenling, Zhejiang, is reported missing after being swept into the sea, though Chinese officials have not reported any casualties. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang's capital city, parking fees have been waived in all public spaces for drivers seeking shelter. Elsewhere in Zhejiang, Wenzhou authorities have relocated roughly 900,000 residents and opened over 1,000 emergency shelters, while about 390,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the city of Taizhou.

In Fujian province, maritime authorities have suspended numerous passenger ferry routes and halted over 100 offshore construction projects. The typhoon's long journey of 6,000km before making landfall indicates a lifespan more than three times that of an average typhoon. The storm has disrupted transportation services, and misinformation about the storm has spread rapidly on the Chinese internet, with state media reporting that two individuals have been detained for distributing such content.

In the Philippines, Dolphin caused heavy monsoon rains, resulting in eight deaths and over 7,000 people seeking shelter at evacuation centers. In Okinawa, Japan, five elderly people suffered minor injuries due to strong winds. Typhoon season in the western Pacific typically occurs between May and October, and this year, a strong El Niño year, has contributed to more intense typhoons.