00:04China is battling the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the country so far this year.
00:10Typhoon dolphins slammed into China's eastern coast on Sunday, August 9th, forcing more than
00:18one million people to evacuate as powerful winds and torrential rain battered coastal provinces.
00:24The storm first made landfall near Yuhuan in Jezong province at around 5.30 p.m. local time
00:33before making a second landfall near Wenzhou roughly an hour later.
00:38At landfall, dolphin-packed maximum sustained winds of around 150 kilometers per hour,
00:46bringing dangerous conditions across the region.
00:49Authorities had issued China's highest-level red alert ahead of the storm
00:54and launched a massive evacuation operation.
00:58More than 900,000 people were moved to safety in Wenzhou,
01:02while around 390,000 were evacuated in Taizhou.
01:07Shanghai also moved hundreds of thousands of residents from high-risk areas as the storm approached.
01:14Authorities ordered fishing vessels back to port, evacuated offshore workers,
01:20and carried out emergency inspections of reservoirs, construction sites, and landslide-prone areas.
01:27The storm also caused major transportation disruptions.
01:31Around 1,500 flights were canceled in Shanghai,
01:35while ferry and cruise services were suspended across affected areas.
01:40And the rain has been relentless.
01:43A weather station in central Shanghai recorded its highest 24-hour rainfall in more than 150 years.
01:52Parts of Jezong were warned of rainfall reaching up to 500 millimeters,
01:57raising fears of severe flooding and landslides.
02:01Major tourist attractions were also affected,
02:04with parts of Shanghai Disneyland, Legoland, and viewing areas along the Bund closed or restricted.
02:11By Monday morning, Typhoon Dolphin had weakened significantly after moving inland,
02:17and was downgraded to a tropical storm.
02:20But the danger is far from over.
02:23Authorities warn that torrential rain, flooding, and landslides could continue through Wednesday, August 12th,
02:30affecting large parts of eastern and central China.
02:34For now, emergency teams remain on alert,
02:37as authorities monitor rivers, reservoirs, and vulnerable areas.
02:42China has moved more than a million people out of harm's way,
02:46but the threat from dolphins' heavy rains is still unfolding.
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