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OCHA Flash Update 2 - China | Tropical Cyclone Soulik, 16 July 2013

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According to the National Meteorological Centre of China (NMC), Typhoon Soulik was downgraded to a Tropical Depression in Nancheng County, Jiangxi Province at 5.00 am on the 14 July. With this, the NMC downgraded the Orange Typhoon Warning to the lowest level - Blue. Xinhua reported that Typhoon Soulik made landfall in Fujian Province on Saturday afternoon, bringing with it heavy rains and strong gales as it gradually weakened moving inland.

As of the 3pm, 15 July, two casualties and 54 people are reported injured in Taiwan, the Province of China, with one person still missing. The Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned that Typhoon Soulik would cause heavy rainstorms in western Fujian, Jiang Xi, and south-eastern Anhui over the next twenty-four hours.

Taiwan’s “Council of Agriculture” estimates that Taiwan’s agricultural sector suffered losses worth of US$13.47 million by the afternoon on 14 July. Crops including rice, bananas, pears, guavas and bamboo are reported as the worst affected. The Typhoon has led to widespread power outages affecting over 1.13 million households.

On the 14 July, casualties and damage to infrastructure and crops has been reported on the mainland in Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang Provinces. Over 390,000 people are reported affected including some 20,000 people displaced in Guangdong Province. Some 40,000 hectares of crops are affected, thousands of houses collapsed, widespread power outages were reported and roads blocked with a number of flights having been cancelled causing serious disruption and financial loss.

Premier Li Keqiang said that the “Government departments must place saving people’s lives as their top priority”. The National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs activated disaster relief warnings and guided local civil affairs departments to assist with preparation, enhance early warning and prepare response plans. Zhejiang provincial department of education ordered the suspension of all classes and school activities during the typhoon. The Guangdong Provincial Government activated a level three response against floods. The Taipei City Government ordered companies and schools to send staff and pupils home early, although the financial markets were operating normally. Some 2,000 tourists were evacuated from Taiwan, Province of China in preparation for Typhoon Soulik.

OCHA and its humanitarian partners are closely monitoring the situation. It is not expected that OCHA will issue another Flash Update.

For further details please contact:

Kirsten Mildren, Public Information Officer & Advocacy Officer Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Regional Office Asia Pacific Tel: +66 2288 2856 l Mob: +66 81915 1276 l Email: mildren@un.org For more information, please visit www.unocha.org/roap or @OCHAAsiaPac

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.