Typhoon In-fa hits east China days after deadly flood as people are evacuated
ITV News reporter Marc Mallett described the unfolding situation in China's Henan province on Saturday
Typhoon In-fa hit China's east coast on Sunday as people living near the sea were evacuated, flights and trains were cancelled and the public was told to stay indoors.
Wind speeds off shore reached 60 mph (100 kph) as the typhoon arrived in Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, the newspaper China Daily reported.
It came just days after deadly floods devastated central parts of the country.
About 330,000 residents of Fengxian District on Shanghai's southern edge were evacuated, hundreds of flights at Shanghai Pudong and Shanghai Hongqiao airports were cancelled, and cargo ships were moved out of the area.
Schools, markets and businesses in Zhejiang were ordered to close, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The international airport in Hangzhou, southwest of Shanghai, also canceled flights.
The typhoon churned towards the mainland after the heavy rain brought down trees and damaged houses in neighbouring Taiwan yesterday, with strong waves crashing onto the country’s northern coast.
The storm had sustained winds of 155 kph (95 mph) with gusts up to 191 kph (120 mph) as it moved northwest away from Taiwan, the island’s weather bureau reported.
In-Fa had also intensified the monsoon rains in the Philippines causing flooding and landslides. The coast guard has been rescuing trapped residents whose homes hadn't already been swept away.
The typhoon alert comes after central China was hit with severe flooding, killing dozens and destroying homes and infrastructure.
The country’s meteorological authority said China’s Henan province experienced "rare and severe rainfall smashing historical records".
Heavy storms dumped a year's worth of rain on the area in just a matter of days.
Emergency crews rescued some 150 children and teachers from a kindergarten
Footage from the area shows emergency services wading through knee-deep flood waters while carrying babies they rescued from the dangerous conditions.
In another clip, a 15-year-old boy is seen clinging onto tree branches in the middle of a raging river after he was washed off a bridge in torrential flood waters.
At least 56 people died, with many more missing, and more than 100,000 were forced to evacuate their homes in the region as major roads were overcome with fast moving currents sweeping away cars.
Residents were also trapped in the subway system and left stranded at schools, apartments and offices, as emergency services are still working around the clock to search for and rescue survivors.
Video shows commuters trapped in a subway train by neck-high water following torrential rain in China
Another tropical storm is also threatening to bring more heavy rainfall and strong winds to the region.
Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics will be hoping to avoid the worst of Storm Nepartak, expected to hit Japan in the coming days.