Tropical Storm Podul Causes Significant Damage in Taiwan and Southern China

• Tropical Storm Podul prompted the evacuation of 15,000 people in China.
• In Taiwan, over 110 people were injured, with one person reported missing.
• Hong Kong reported the highest level of alert due to strong rainfall.

China is preparing for strong rains after Tropical Storm Podul hit several provinces in the southern region. The storm reached the Fujian coast after passing through Taiwan, where over 110 people were injured and one person went missing.

As of Thursday, 15,000 people had been evacuated from coastal areas in southern China as the storm approached the region. Podul weakened, but still caused significant flooding in the province of Hunan due to possible inundation.

In the city of Chaozhou in the province of Guangdong, schools and some government functions were suspended, while in Hong Kong the highest level of alert was raised due to the storm. As of early Thursday morning, over 150 flights were canceled in Hong Kong due to strong rainfall.

In Taiwan, where the storm hit in the afternoon, 8,000 people were evacuated, and electricity was restored after outages caused by previous storms. Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te received information about the situation and mobilized over 31,000 soldiers for rescue operations.

Tags: China/Weather