Weather disasters pummeled Fujian in 2014

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2015-01-07

Various weather disasters, led by downpours and typhoons, whipped Fujian province in 2014, affecting 1.56 million people, said the provincial meteorological authority on Jan 5.

16 people were killed in those terrible disasters; and the direct economic loss is estimated to have been 4.5 billion yuan ($725 million).

Heavy rain and floods resulted in 2.7 billion yuan in loss, with the cities of Sanming, Ningde and Nanping among the most ravaged.

Fujian witnessed a precipitation of 1673 mm in 2014, which was at a normal level. The rain, however, had an uneven distribution, falling more in the northern parts of the province.

Fujian underwent 6 cold fronts, 5 severe convections, 22 rounds of downpours, 6 typhoons and a drought lasting from summer to autumn.

Two typhoons, namely Matmo and Hagibis, which mainly wreaked havoc in Fuzhou, Ningde and Zhangzhou caused a direct economic loss of 1.7 billion yuan.

A severe drought lingered in costal areas in the central and southern parts. A reservoir in Mawei district, Fuzhou city had insufficient storage of water, which led to water supply problems to residents in adjacent areas.