Typhon Wipha Weakens in China; 7 Killed
Pastor Dale Morgan
Typhon Wipha Weakens in China; 7 Killed*
The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 19, 2007; 10:02 PM
SHANGHAI, China -- Typhoon Wipha weakened as it slammed China with
strong winds and torrential rains, officials said Thursday. At least
seven people were reported killed as the storm destroyed thousands of
homes and triggered landslides.
Wipha was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm Wednesday after
it hit land in southern Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai, the
official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
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Five people died in landslides, reports in state media said Thursday.
News reports said two other deaths were blamed on the storm: a Shanghai
man was electrocuted and a Taiwan construction worker died when
scaffolding collapsed. Another three people were reported missing.
Weather photos showed Wipha spread over a large area centered on eastern
China's Shandong province Thursday. The storm was forecast to pass over
the Yellow Sea toward the Korean peninsula.
A total of 2.7 million people were evacuated from coastal or flooded
areas and unsafe housing in Shanghai and other areas affected by the
storm, Xinhua said.
The storm destroyed thousands of houses, wrecked fish ponds and
disrupted power to more than 100 communities, the Ministry of Civil
Affairs and provincial officials reported.
Preliminary estimates put the damage at $638 million.
Shanghai, a city of 20 million, closed schools, ferries and other
transport links following forecasts of torrential rains and strong
winds. But the city suffered little damage and by Thursday children
returned to school under clear skies.
Wipha is a woman's name in Thai.
The storm played havoc with sports events, as well as regional transport.
Organizers of the women's World Cup rescheduled Wednesday's Shanghai
match between Norway and Ghana to Thursday and moved it to the
neighboring city of Hangzhou. Three Wednesday games were rescheduled for
Thursday, to allow them to be played simultaneously with other final
group matches.