25 dead as Typhoon Usagi smashes into China

Typhoon Usagi killed at least 25 people when it slammed into southern China's Guangdong province, provincial authorities said Monday. Super Typhoon Usagi is the strongest of the season and made landfall at 7:40 p.m. local time Sunday in Shanwei City. The typhoon's center packs winds up to 100 miles per hour, the provincial meteorological station said. After the storm made landfall, the National Disaster Reduction Commission and the Ministry of Civil Affairs dispatched special teams to the affected region to begin the disaster relief work, China's Xinhua News Agency reported. More than 3.56 million people have been affected by Usagi, including 226,000 who had to be relocated, the news agency said. The storm collapsed about 7,100 homes and damages totaled 3.24 billion yuan ($529.5 million), Xinhua said. The dead included two people killed by a falling tree in Shantou City, Xinhua reported. In preparation for the season's most powerful typhoon, lasses were suspended in Xiamen City, while major Chinese airlines canceled flights to cities in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, and Hong Kong and Macao. Fujian also suspended shipping transport between China and Taiwan as Usagi approaches. Storms associated with Usagi damaged three major power lines, knocking out power to 170,000 households in Fujian Sunday morning. Power supply companies said they were working to restore power. Thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying coastal regions in Fujian due to the possibility of floods. The province's flood control headquarters ordered extra patrols to carry out emergency repairs as needed to prevent embankment breaches, Xinhua said.