By Satoshi Sugiyama and Eduardo Baptista
TOKYO/BEIJING, Aug 8 (Reuters) – On Saturday, Typhoon Dolphin hit Japan's southern Okinawa region, injuring six people and causing power outages in over 50,000 homes. Meanwhile, China closed its ports and suspended ferry services as the storm approached its east coast.
According to officials, five elderly individuals in Okinawa were injured, three of whom fell due to strong winds. Another person was hurt in Kagoshima prefecture.
In Kagoshima, nearly 39,000 homes lost power, while just over 12,000 were affected in Okinawa. Domestic airlines, including ANA and Japan Airlines, canceled flights to and from Okinawa.
The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 162 km/h (90 mph) and gusts of up to 216 km/h.
Okinawa and Amami island in Kagoshima prefecture are expected to experience the most severe impacts in Japan.
TYHOON EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL IN CHINA
In China, the typhoon is forecasted to hit land between late Sunday and early Monday. Authorities have classified Dolphin as an orange-category typhoon, which is the second-highest warning level.
Due to the potential for flooding and landslides, the emergency response level for Dolphin has been raised to level III, the second-lowest level.
The typhoon is likely to make landfall between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province, with wind speeds around 38-45 meters per second (85-101 mph) near its center, according to China's National Meteorological Center.
China’s National Marine Forecasting Center has issued its highest, red-level warning for waves, predicting that waves could reach 5 to 8 meters (16 to 26 feet) in coastal waters off Zhejiang until Sunday afternoon.
Under the orange-level warning, waves in coastal areas near Shanghai and northern Fujian may reach 3 to 5.5 meters.
PORTS AND AIRPORTS HALT OPERATIONS
Rain and strong winds are expected to affect eastern China until August 12, including parts of Shanghai and surrounding provinces. Forecasters predict that some areas in eastern Zhejiang might receive more than 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain.
Zhejiang has raised its coastal typhoon alert to the highest level and has suspended port activities. Authorities in eastern and southern China have also suspended ferry services, halted some construction, and ordered fishing boats to return to port.
Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Zhejiang plans to cancel all flights on Sunday. By late Friday, Shanghai's Yangshan port had cleared out vessels, and some rail services in the Yangtze River Delta will be suspended starting Sunday.
Beijing officials are keeping an eye on the typhoon's path and are preparing flood-control and evacuation plans for the capital.
In Taiwan, 78 flights, mostly international, have been canceled due to the typhoon. Heavy rainfall is anticipated in northern Taiwan over the weekend, though authorities had not initiated evacuations by Saturday.
In response to the typhoon, China has directed that ships navigating through the Taiwan Strait must follow its traffic control guidelines—an action Taipei has criticized as “ridiculous,” asserting that Beijing has no authority to restrict passage in international waters.
China claims Taiwan as its territory, while both Taipei and Washington dispute this claim.