Typhoon Maysak Impacts Southern China
A tropical storm has resulted in two fatalities, breaches in dams, and the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in southern China.
Typhoon Maysak caused two deaths in Nanning, located in Guangxi province in southern China. The typhoon, which affected Hainan island province and parts of Vietnam over the weekend, is expected to release the accumulated moisture as it weakens and moves inland, according to meteorologists.
Flooding and Evacuations in Guangxi
Approximately 55,000 people in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, have been impacted by flooding. Waters have overflowed or breached barriers at three reservoirs, according to Wei Jiang, the city’s deputy mayor, who provided this update on Monday. Around 48,000 residents have been evacuated as a precaution.
"Extremely heavy rain" has prompted authorities to raise the flood control emergency response to its highest level, with concerns that worsening conditions could impede rescue operations.
Flood Conditions in Guigang and Fangchenggang
In Guigang, located about 170 miles (270 km) from Nanning, floodwaters transformed a major road into a lake, submerging vehicles and creating torrents of brown water cascading down a hill into a construction site.
The water level at the Guigang hydrological station reached 42 meters by 12:30 pm, as reported by the Ministry of Water Resources.
Further south in Fangchenggang, video footage verified by authorities showed a small car being swept away by floodwaters. The water rose to the height of another vehicle’s steering wheel, and a man was seen struggling to keep his electric scooter from being carried off by the current.
Additional Fatalities in Northern China
Separately, heavy rains in northern China have resulted in five deaths. Two people died in a flash flood on Saturday evening in Inner Mongolia, while three others lost their lives the same day in Fushun, Liaoning province.
Super Typhoon Bavi Approaches Eastern China
China remains on alert for Super Typhoon Bavi, which is advancing across the Pacific Ocean toward Taiwan. The US National Weather Service reported that Bavi brought winds of up to 180 mph as it passed over the islands of Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Rota on Monday.
Weather authorities have warned that Bavi will bring strong winds and heavy rain to eastern China starting Thursday, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
China faces increasing threats from extreme weather events, which meteorologists attribute to the ongoing climate crisis. Analysts estimate that weather-related risks could cause significant annual economic losses as urban flooding disrupts industrial activities and damages crops.
Maysak’s Landfalls and Ongoing Rainfall Forecast
Maysak made landfall on Friday in Hainan, marking the first tropical cyclone to reach the Chinese mainland this year. The storm then made a second landfall on Sunday in Vietnam, which shares a border with Guangxi. In Mong Cai, a Vietnamese border city, the storm caused trees to fall and metal roofs to be torn from buildings, according to state media, as it moved into China.
Heavy rainfall is forecast across Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, and other regions in the coming days, as reported by Chinese meteorologists. These three provinces alone are home to over 150 million people, a population larger than that of Russia.
