Storms hit southern China mainland in wake of Typhoon Wipha
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Storms hit southern China in wake of Typhoon Wipha
Typhoon Wipha brushed past Hong Kong yesterday, where it felled trees and scaffolding, grounded flights and sent nearly 280 people into shelters. Heavy rain is forecast for mainland China’s coastal regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian provinces until tomorrow morning, with warnings of flash floods, landslides and wind hazards. Vietnam put coastal provinces on emergency footing, warning of potentially dangerous flooding and landslides, state broadcaster CCTV cited the water resources ministry as saying.
BEIJING : Storms drenched southern parts of the Chinese mainland today, triggering warnings of flash floods and landslides, a day after Typhoon Wipha pounded Hong Kong.
Heavy rain lashed the cities of Yangjiang, Zhanjiang and Maoming in China’s southern province Guangdong after the storm system made landfall yesterday evening.
Yesterday it brushed past Hong Kong where it felled trees and scaffolding, grounded flights and sent nearly 280 people into shelters.
China’s national forecaster said Wipha had weakened to a tropical storm upon landfall, and forecast it would skirt the coast of Guangdong and move towards Vietnam.
Heavy rain is forecast for mainland China’s coastal regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian provinces until tomorrow morning, with warnings of flash floods, landslides and wind hazards.
Floods exceeding warning levels occurred in 20 rivers across the country due to Wipha, state broadcaster CCTV cited the water resources ministry as saying today.
But many areas doused in heavy rainfall have recovered from the impact quickly, CCTV said.
Authorities had enforced traffic controls at major expressways connecting the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai to Hong Kong as well as at ports, and these were lifted by last night.
Train services disrupted by the storm were also gradually resumed throughout today.
The public was advised to remain vigilant about any secondary disasters, CCTV said during the noon bulletin today.
The system will move into the Gulf of Tonkin late this morning, over which it will gather intensity before hitting Vietnam’s northern coast, the Chinese forecaster said.
Ahead of Wipha’s expected landfall early tomorrow, Vietnam put coastal provinces on emergency footing, warning of potentially dangerous flooding and landslides.
Vietnam’s prime minister sent an urgent message to coastal regions last night to call boats ashore, evacuate people from flood-prone areas, prepare food supplies and rescue equipment and secure communication infrastructure.
Dozens of flights were also cancelled or rescheduled as airlines in the country braced for the typhoon.
World News: VIDEO: Storms hit southern China mainland in wake of Typhoon Wipha
Heavy rain is forecast for Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian. The system will move into the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday. It is expected to weaken to a tropical storm on Tuesday.
Heavy rain lashed the cities of Yangjiang, Zhanjiang and Maoming in China’s southern province Guangdong after the storm system made landfall on Sunday evening.
On Sunday it brushed past Hong Kong where it felled trees and scaffolding, grounded flights and sent nearly 280 people into shelters.
China’s national forecaster said it had weakened to a tropical storm upon landfall, and forecast it to skirt the coast of Guangdong and move southwesterly towards Vietnam.
Heavy rain is forecast for mainland Chinese coastal regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian until Tuesday morning, with warnings of flash floods, landslides and wind hazards.
The system will move into the Gulf of Tonkin late Monday morning, over which it will gather intensity before hitting Vietnam’s northern coast on Tuesday, the forecaster said.
Storms hit southern China mainland in wake of Typhoon Wipha
Storms drenched southern parts of the Chinese mainland on Monday, triggering warnings of flash floods and landslides. Heavy rain lashed the cities of Yangjiang, Zhanjiang and Maoming in China’s southern province Guangdong after the storm system made landfall on Sunday evening. On Sunday it brushed past Hong Kong where it felled trees and scaffolding, grounded flights and sent nearly 280 people into shelters. China’s national forecaster said Wipha had weakened to a tropical storm upon landfall, and forecast it would skirt the coast of Guangdongs and move towards Vietnam. The public was advised to remain vigilant about any secondary disasters.
Item 1 of 5 A view shows dark cloud approaching the city of Zhuhai as Typhoon Wipha makes landfall, Guangdong Province, China, July 20, 2025, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
BEIJING, July 21 (Reuters) – Storms drenched southern parts of the Chinese mainland on Monday, triggering warnings of flash floods and landslides, a day after Typhoon Wipha pounded Hong Kong.
Heavy rain lashed the cities of Yangjiang, Zhanjiang and Maoming in China’s southern province Guangdong after the storm system made landfall on Sunday evening.
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On Sunday it brushed past Hong Kong where it felled trees and scaffolding, grounded flights and sent nearly 280 people into shelters.
China’s national forecaster said Wipha had weakened to a tropical storm upon landfall, and forecast it would skirt the coast of Guangdong and move towards Vietnam.
Heavy rain is forecast for mainland China’s coastal regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian provinces until Tuesday morning, with warnings of flash floods, landslides and wind hazards.
Floods exceeding warning levels occurred in 20 rivers across the country due to Wipha, state broadcaster CCTV cited the water resources ministry as saying on Monday.
But many areas doused in heavy rainfall have recovered from the impact quickly, CCTV said.
Authorities had enforced traffic controls at major expressways connecting the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai to Hong Kong as well as at ports, and these were lifted by Sunday night. Train services disrupted by the storm were also gradually resumed throughout Monday.
The public was advised to remain vigilant about any secondary disasters, CCTV said during the noon bulletin on Monday.
The system will move into the Gulf of Tonkin late on Monday morning, over which it will gather intensity before hitting Vietnam’s northern coast, the Chinese forecaster said.
Ahead of Wipha’s expected landfall early on Tuesday, Vietnam put coastal provinces on emergency footing , warning of potentially dangerous flooding and landslides.
Vietnam’s prime minister sent an urgent message to coastal regions on Sunday night to call boats ashore, evacuate people from flood-prone areas, prepare food supplies and rescue equipment and secure communication infrastructure.
Dozens of flights were also cancelled or rescheduled as airlines in the country braced for the typhoon.
Reporting by Liz Lee, Xiuhao Chen and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan
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Exclusive: Trump pledged to save Afghans. But UAE had already sent some evacuees back, cable shows
UAE told Washington that it will send back remaining 25 Afghans by July 20, cable shows. President Donald Trump pledged to save them, but appears to be unaware of the UAE plan. The UAE agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul. About 17,000 Afghan evacuees have been processed through the Abu Dhabi facility, known as Emirates Humanitarian City. But more than 30 remaining Afghans have been stuck with their fate in limbo.. News outlet “Just the News” reported on Sunday that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. It was not immediately clear if the remaining individuals had been sent back or the circumstances of the two families returned to Afghanistan. The U.S. State Department, the White House and the UAE government did not have immediate comment for this story. The cable and the return of two Afghan families back to Afghanistan have not been previously reported. The Taliban has rolled back hard-fought rights won by Afghan women and girls during two decades of American-backed rule.
Item 1 of 3 Taliban soldiers stand guard at the second-anniversary ceremony of the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo
Summary UAE official informed U.S. that UAE had returned some Afghans to Afghanistan, cable shows
UAE told Washington that it will send back remaining 25 Afghans by July 20, cable shows
Trump pledged to save them, but appears to be unaware of the UAE plan
WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) – Days before President Donald Trump said he would help Afghan evacuees who fled their country and were stuck in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirati government had already begun returning them to Afghanistan and informed Washington that it was doing so, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Sunday.
The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the U.S.-backed government during the final stages of the U.S.-led withdrawal.
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Throughout the years, about 17,000 Afghan evacuees have been processed through the Abu Dhabi facility, known as Emirates Humanitarian City. However, more than 30 remaining Afghans have been stuck with their fate in limbo.
News outlet “Just the News” reported on Sunday that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban.
“I will try to save them , starting right now,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there.
However, it may already be too late for some.
In a July 10 meeting with U.S. officials in Abu Dhabi, Salem al-Zaabi, UAE Special Advisor to the Foreign Minister, told the Americans that two families had been “successfully and safely” sent back to Afghanistan in early July, the cable, which had the same date as the meeting, said.
Al-Zaabi told the Americans that while the UAE understood the current policy from Washington, it was going to move to “close this chapter for good” and therefore would move to return the remaining 25 individuals by Sunday, July 20, according to the cable. He added that the Emirati government would seek assurances from the Taliban that their safety is guaranteed.
It was not immediately clear if the remaining individuals had been sent back or the circumstances of the two families returned to Afghanistan.
The cable and the return of the two Afghan families back to Afghanistan have not been previously reported.
Trump, based on his Truth Social post, appeared to be out of the loop on the UAE’s plans.
The State Department, the White House and the UAE government did not have immediate comment for this story.
AFGHANS IN QATAR ALSO STUCK
Al-Zaabi told the U.S. officials that the two families were returned to Afghanistan in early July “at their request, since they were tired of waiting,” the cable said.
But two sources familiar with the matter disputed that account saying that the UAE government and Taliban’s ambassador to the UAE were making Afghan families at the Emirates Humanitarian City choose between signing a ‘voluntary’ deportation letter to Afghanistan or being arrested to be forcefully deported to the country on Monday.
The cable also said Al-Zaabi asked the U.S. to coordinate “perception management” to ensure Washington and Abu Dhabi were aligned on their messaging on the topic as the UAE did not want criticism from the NGOs “due to the inability of the United States to resettle the population in the United States or elsewhere.”
The fate of the more than 30 Afghan evacuees and how the administration handles their cases is crucial for the future of another 1,500 Afghan men, women and children who have been stuck in a similar facility in Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration, since its chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, has brought nearly 200,000 Afghans to the United States.
Trump, a Republican who promised a far-reaching immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January. In April, the Trump administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S..
Democrats have urged Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government.
Since seizing power, Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has rolled back hard-fought rights won by Afghan women and girls during two decades of rule by American-backed governments. They have imposed limits on schooling, work and general independence in daily life.
Refugees include family members of Afghan-American U.S. military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government during the 20-year war.
Advocacy group #AfghanEvac urged Trump to follow up on his post with action.
“That means working to immediately secure protections and departures for the Afghans at the Emirates Humanitarian City in UAE and Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar and ensuring they are not deported back into the hands of the Taliban,” the group said in a statement.
Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Diane Craft
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