http://news.zjol.com.cn/gb/node2/nod...ai3109063.html

Rananim the strongest typhoon hitting China since 1956
(Zhejiang Online http://www.zjol.com.cn8-17)

Rananim, the 14th typhoon this year, which landed in ****ang Town of
Wenling, east China's Zhejiang Province, on August 12 has been
confirmed by China Meteorological Bureau as the strongest typhoon ever
hit China since 1956.

The news was released by the provincial people's government of
Zhejiang Province at a press conference on Tuesday morning.

According to authorities in Zhejiang Province, Rananim had claimed a
total of 164 lives in Zhejiang and left 24 people missing by 12 am
August 16.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3573566.stm

Deaths rise from China typhoon
Typhoon Rananim buffeted Japan's east coast last week
The number of deaths caused by Typhoon Rananim, which hit the east of
China last week, is continuing to rise.

State-run media says 164 people are now known to have been killed and
another 24 are still missing.

The typhoon - described as China's most powerful storm for seven years
- swept through the province of Zhejiang last week.

The authorities say it affected up to 13 million people, destroying
homes and causing floods and landslides.

China's civil affairs ministry has estimated direct economic losses of
15.33bn yuan ($1.85bn).

More than 650 people have been killed this year by natural disasters
in China, which have caused damage estimated at more than $4bn.

The north of China has suffered severe droughts, while heavy rains
have caused flooding in southern and central areas.

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http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english...ent_366315.htm

Natural disaster affects almost 13 million
By Shao Xiaoyi (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-08-18 00:44

The death toll from Typhoon Rananim climbed to 164 Tuesday, with 24
people still missing, according to officials in East China's Zhejiang
Province.

A rescue operation searching for 21 people buried by wreckage caused
by the mudslide on Friday in Leqing, Zhejiang Province was underway,
said Feng Zhili, vice-mayor of Wenzhou, one of worst-hit cities in
Zhejiang Province.


A child picks up debris left by a disastrous mudslide on August 13
after Typhoon Rananim hit Leqing in East China's Zhejiang Province.
The death toll from the mudslide rose to 27 Tuesday, with another 20
people missing. [newsphoto]
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english...5076231402.jpg


"The tragedy happened after the terrible Typhoon has really worsened
the great damage," said Feng, adding that telephone lines to Leqing
were still down four days after the city was hit by an avalanche of
mud and rock.

The latest figures from the provincial flood control and drought
relief headquarters said 12.99 million people have been affected and
the mudslide had caused 18.128 billion yuan (US$2.18 billion) worth of
damage.

Provincial officials said 109 people had been killed when their houses
collapsed, with a further 28 losing their lives in the subsequent
landslides, flash floods and rockfalls, with nine being killed by
strong winds.

About 20 migrant workers are on the casualty list, with 144 victims
being local people.

Typhoon Rananim, which swept through the whole Zhejiang Province on
Thursday night, was the biggest typhoon to hit the country since 1956,
according to the China Meteorological Administration.

It struck Wenling, a coastal city in Zhejiang Province, at 8 pm last
Thursday night.

It then ripped through south of Taizhou and Wenzhou, the west of
Jinhua and Quzhou and finally hurtled into Jiangxi Province at 11 am
on August 13, according to the local meteorological observatory.

The typhoon remained in the province for 15 hours with a maximum force
of over 12.

"Despite the damage, the great efforts we have put to fight typhoon
such as evacuating people beforehand, have indeed cut losses to
minimum," said Yu Zhongda, deputy-secretary of the provincial Party
committee.

According to incomplete statistics provided by the provincial
authorities, about 467,900 residents had been evacuated to safer areas
and 9,900 ships had been pulled into harbours.

A 1,340-kilometre-long standard dyke, thousands of reservoirs, and
water locks have greatly reduced the losses, said Yu.

Reconstruction work has begun across the whole province and the
government is determined to help homeless people move into new houses
before the winter, Yu added.

"We will pay special attention to the quality of buildings to better
withstand typhoons while we building new houses," Yu says.

According to a survey conducted by the provincial construction bureau,
85 per cent of the destroyed homes were built before or during the
1980s while 10 per cent were built in the 1990s.

Houses built in the 1990s were thought to be safe, Yu said. The
majority of people evacuated were living in houses built during or
before the 1980s.

So far, no diseases have emerged owning to preventive measures the
government has taken in typhoon-hit areas.

However, the province's struggle against the weather has yet to end.

With maximum winds with a force of 9, the 16th tropical winds this
year were predicted to reach the southern parts of Zhejiang Province
last night, according to the local meteorological observatory.

In another development, alarmed by the mudslide happened in Leqing,
officials from Ningbo in Zhejiang Province plan to move residents from
25 villages to safe places amid the threat of disaster striking the
city.