Nepartak: Final update (Monday)
Nepartak weakened into a strong tropical storm after making landfall in Fujian on Saturday, but continued to soak the region, where emergency workers scrambled to reach residents trapped on the upper floors of submerged buildings and collapsed homes.
Nepartak weakened into a strong tropical storm after making landfall in Fujian on Saturday, but continued to soak the region, where emergency workers scrambled to reach residents trapped on the upper floors of submerged buildings and collapsed homes.
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Monday update
10:55
Nepartak which rapidly build from a simple thunderstorm to a super typhoon has now left Taiwan and is just finishing up its devastation of already-flooded areas of China. This will likely be our final update and English learners now have an excellent example of a major storm story from start to finish.
The Associated Press filed this report this morning.
AP – Nepartak weakened into a strong tropical storm after making landfall in Fujian on Saturday, but continued to soak the region, where emergency workers scrambled to reach residents trapped on the upper floors of submerged buildings and collapsed homes.
The Fujian water resources department's website said that two people were killed and 17 others missing, but did not give more details.
Unusually heavy rain has pounded southern China in recent months, triggering severe flooding along rivers, including the Yangtze. Meteorologists blame the floods on a particularly intense El Nino weather pattern that has resulted in up to a 50 percent increase in rainfall in certain areas.
The government said Friday that 164 people have been killed by floods, hail and landslides since June 30, while 32 million people across 26 provinces have been affected.
Dramatic pictures have emerged of people pushing cars through waist-high water and a soccer stadium with rainwater filled to its upper rafters in Wuhan, a central Chinese city that has been particularly hard hit.
Residents look at an inundated house as they stand in floodwaters in Putian, in eastern China's Fujian province on July 9, 2016 after tropical storm Nepartak made landfall in China on July 9. / AFP PHOTO /
Sunday update
9:25
China's Fujian Province hit hard
This image taken with a cameraphone shows cars and buses being washed away by floodwaters in Fuzhou, in eastern China's Fujian province on July 9. / AFP PHOTO /
China's official Xinhua news agency reports that Nepartak has inflicted huge damage after making landfall on Saturday afternoon in east China's Fujian Province.
Calling the storm a "typhoon", not a "tropical storm", Xinhua says Nepartak made first landfall early on Friday in eastern Taiwan, packing winds of up to 190 km per hour, gusting up to 234 km per hour.
According to Xinhua a red rainstorm alert was issued in Putian City, which experienced more than 250 millimeters of precipitation in four hours early this morning. Forty-three people in a residential area were rescued by firefighters after floodwaters submersed two buildings. Many buildings have collapsed and landslides were reported in rural and mountainous areas.
An incomplete estimation showed more than 420,000 people in four cities, including the provincial capital of Fuzhou, have been urgently relocated, Xinhua says.
Saturday update
20:30
Here is a brief evening update from AFP
Tropical storm makes landfall in China
A tropical storm made landfall in China Saturday afternoon, the country's national meteorological center said, a day after super Typhoon Nepartak lashed Taiwan with powerful winds and torrential rain.
Nepartak, which has weakened to a tropical storm since it brought chaos to Taiwan on Friday, hit the city of Shishi in the southeastern Fujian province at 1:45 pm local time (0545 GMT), packing winds of up to 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour.
More than 420,000 people across four cities, including the provincial capital Fuzhou, have been evacuated and more than 33,000 boats returned to harbour, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Five airports were closed, prompting the cancellation of nearly 400 flights, while more than 300 trains were also cancelled, Xinhua said.
9:20
Nepartak has lost its tight organisation and its status as a typhoon. It is still dangerous as a tropical storm, however. Photo from the Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan released at 8:30am our time.
As of Saturday morning, Nepartak is now a tropical storm. As expected, Taiwan's high mountains tore the storm apart and it is no longer the fearsome highly organised typhoon is it was when it made landfall Friday morning.
A tropical storm is still serious, however, especially when it is headed to areas that are already flooded. The big question now is just how much rain will fall in China and where.
The China Post reports that Nepartak has left at least three dead in Taiwan with 142 injured. There have been 1,836 cases of trees and signboards falling.
Most of the injuries and much of the damage occurred in Taitung county where the storm made landfall at 5:50am Friday.
Friday updates
An image of Typhoon Nepartak released at 17:00 our time by the Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan, showing the storm leaving Taiwan and heading for mainland China.
17:30
A map of Taiwan and China. Much of China is already reeling from heaving flooding.
Nepartak is approaching the coast of China. It will weaken as it goes overland, but heavy rains are expected, perhaps even as far as Wuhan which is already under water from previous rains.
This picture taken on July 6, 2016 shows the flooded Xinhua Road Sports Centre Stadium in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. Heavy rain around China's Yangtze river basin has left 128 people dead and scores missing, media said on July 5, with more damage feared from a typhoon expected to land this week. / AFP PHOTO
16:35
The Associated Press reports that power has been partially restored in Taiwan Thus far, the storm has killed two people and injured 72.
By late morning, Nepartak had weakened to a medium-strength typhoon, packing maximum sustained winds of 163 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 230 kph, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said. It was forecast to reach mainland China's Fujian province Saturday morning.
This overhead view shows three vehicles that were blown over by strong winds and reportedly carried some 100 metres down the road by strong winds, in the Taiwanese city of Taitung on July 8, 2016 after Super Typhoon Nepartak passed over the island. Super Typhoon Nepartak brought chaos to Taiwan on July 8, forcing more than 15,000 people to flee their homes as the strongest winds in over a century lashed part of the island. Two people are known dead as a result of the storm, a soldier who fell into the sea off Dongyin Island and a man who drowned off a beach in Hualien county./ AFP PHOTO / CNA PHOTO /
15:00
The first photos are just starting to come in from Taiwan.
A man and a woman are seen amongst debris in front of a shop with broken shutters, towrn away by strong winds of Typhoon Nepartak in Taitung on July 8, 2016 Super Typhoon Nepartak lashed Taiwan with powerful winds and torrential rain as it made landfall Friday, injuring dozens and forcing more than 15,000 to evacuate their homes as the island cancelled hundreds of flights and shut offices and schools. / AFP PHOTO / CNA PHOTO
11:25
The weather bureau in Taiwan in another good source for the latest information on the storm: http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V7e/observe/radar/
An image of Super Typhoon Nepartak released at 11:00 our time by the Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan
7:55
We know that Super Typhoon Nepartak has made landfall in southeastern Taiwan, but it is too early for many details. Concern is growing for China where cities, towns and villages are already under water from major floods.
English learners: You'll notice a lot of past tense and some present perfect in this story, quite different from yesterday's "before the storm" story.
Here is an early Friday morning story from AFP:
Thousands evacuated as super typhoon hits Taiwan
Super Typhoon Nepartak lashed Taiwan with powerful winds and torrential rain as it made landfall early Friday, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes as the island cancelled hundreds of flights and shut offices and schools for the day.
Packing gusts of up to 234 kilometres per hour (145 miles per hour), it landed at Taimali township in eastern Taitung county shortly before 6:00 am (2200 GMT Thursday).
Fishermen reinforce their fishing boats to withstand strong winds as Typhoon Nepartak was forecast to hit in the coming days, at a port in Lianyungang, in eastern China's Jiangsu province on July 7, 2016. Residents in China's eastern coastal areas were told to brace for gales and downpours as the first typhoon of the season headed toward Taiwan on July 6, state media reported. / AFP PHOTO
TV footage showed ferocious winds battering Taitung, which recorded the strongest gusts since 1901, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau.
Fallen shop signs and toppled trees littered the streets, while a cargo train car was blown off the tracks in Taitung, TV showed.
One man drowned off a beach in Hualien county Thursday, according to an official tally.
More than 15,000 people have been moved from their homes which were prone to landslides or flooding and about 3,700 of them were in shelters.
Nearly 4,000 people evacuated were in New Taipei City, which includes Wulai, a popular hot spring area near the capital which was cut off for days after Typhoon Soudelor ravaged Taiwan last August.
As many as 331,900 households lost power due to the storm, with close to 255,000 without electricity as of Friday morning.
This satellite image from 7:30am Friday shows that Super Typhoon Nepartak has hit Taiwan but the brunt of the storm is over the sparsely populated southeastern coast. Rainfall, especially in China, is likely to be the biggest problem. (Photo from the Japanese Himawari meteorological satellites.)
The government said financial markets, schools and offices would all be closed Friday.
Most scheduled domestic flights were cancelled while 365 international flights were affected, Taipei's two main airports said.
The railway will be closed for most of the day.
Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said the storm had weakened slightly after making landfall but would continue to dump torrential rain across the island for much of Friday.
The storm had a radius of 200 kilometres and was moving at a speed of 11 kilometres an hour.
"It is expected the strength of this typhoon will continue to weaken and slow down in speed," the weather bureau said.
It is forecast to hit southern China after battering Taiwan.
Thursday's stories
Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters says Super Typhoon Nepartak intensified from a mere tropical storm to a Category 4 super typhoon in only 24 hours between Monday and Tuesday.
Satellite imagery shows the now Category 5 super typhoon on a direct path to Taiwan which should start feel its effects later today. I'll have updates as the situation becomes clearer. English learners should notice how the verb forms change as the storm develops.
A topographical map of Taiwan. (Google maps)
20:30
What is likely to happen?
Super Typhoon Nepartak is still expected to make landfall in Taiwan after midnight tonight and meteorologists have been explaining what is likely to happen. For that, you need to know a bit about the topography of the island.
Landfall will come along the eastern coast and towns and villages there will be very hard hit by wind, rain and a life-threatening storm surge. Notice that just inland is a massive range of mountains, the densest in the world. There, up to a metre of rain may fall, causing landslides and flash floods.
The mountains are high enough to cause the storm to weaken considerably before it reaches the western side of the island where most of the people live. Notice that Taipei is far to the north and is likely to escape severe damage.
From then on it is into China. While it is likely to be a tropical storm when it reaches there, it will bring heavy rain to a country already suffering from historic floods. Clearly, this story will continue for several days.
18:10
China is next in line after Taiwan to feel the effects of Nepartak, a major concern because much of the country is experiencing severe flooding. Reuters, says, however, the story will likely have weakened to a tropical storm by the time it hits China, but, of course, tropical storms usually drop a lot of rain.
16:30
CNN says landfall is expected some time after midnight tonight. The eastern coast where it will hit first is sparsely populated but there are areas that need to be evacuated "immediately" because the storm will be "."
15:50
News agencies are only slowly updating their stories but from the latest satellite imagery, Taiwan must be feeling the early effects of Super Typhoon Nepartak now. You can see for yourself here. Notice there is also an animation:http://www.jma.go.jp/en/gms/index.html?area=1&element=0&time=201607070830&mode=UTC
In this updated Thursday photo (15:30 our time), the outer edges of Super Typhoon Nepartak have reached Taiwan. As you can see, Thailand is not in the storm's direct path. (Photo from the Japanese Himawari meteorological satellites.)
Here is a "before the storm" story – the news from AFP as of 11:30am our time:
Taiwan cancels flights as super typhoon approaches
Taipei, AFP – Taiwan cancelled dozens of flights and shut schools and offices Thursday as the island braced for a direct hit from Super Typhoon Nepartak, the first major tropical storm of the season.
The typhoon was packing gusts of up to 245 kilometres an hour as it rumbled towards the eastern county of Hualien, where it is due to make landfall early Friday, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau.
The storm is expected to dump torrential rain on the whole island with mountainous areas forecast to be deluged with up to 500 millimetres, potentially triggering landslides that have in the past claimed hundreds of lives.
More than 35,000 soldiers are on standby to help with evacuations and disaster relief, while 90 shelters have been set up.
Most domestic flights were grounded while 59 international flights would be affected, Taipei's two main airports said.
This handout photo taken by the Water Resources Agency and released by CNA Photo on July 7, 2016 shows visitors watching as water is released as a preventive measure from the Shihmen Dam in the northern city of Taoyuan as weather forecasters warn of torrential rains and fierce winds from approaching Super Typhoon Nepartak. AFP PHOTO / CNA PHOTO / Water Resources Agency
The popular tourist spots of Green Island and Orchid Island, which have already evacuated thousands of visitors since Tuesday, announced the closure of all schools and offices on Thursday.
Conditions are expected to deteriorate significantly before the storm hits, the weather bureau said.
"Its storm circle is gradually approaching the waters off southeastern Taiwan, posing a threat to all regions and Penghu," it added.
The storm had a radius of 200 kilometres and was moving west-northwest at a speed of 14 kilometres an hour.
The storm is forecast to hit southern China as a typhoon after battering Taiwan.
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