Typhoon Podul brings heavy rain to southern China after injuring scores in Taiwan
The Central Emergency Operation Centre said the missing person, 28, from Chiayi county was suspected to have been swept out to sea while fishing.
Strong winds and high waves hampered search efforts, with rescuers preparing to deploy helicopters and boats once conditions improved.
The typhoon made landfall in Taitung county on Wednesday afternoon with wind gusts reaching 178kmph, knocking out power to nearly 300,000 households and causing severe flooding in southern counties like Pingtung, where over 440mm of rain fell in under 24 hours. Dozens of roads were submerged, including inside the Kenting National Park, and hundreds of people living in mountainous areas were moved away.
By Thursday morning, Podul had weakened to a severe tropical storm as it came ashore again in Zhangpu county in China's Fujian province with sustained winds of 108kmph, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Schools were closed in parts of Guangdong, train and ferry services were suspended, and warnings of heavy rain extending into Hunan and Jiangxi provinces were issued.
In Hong Kong, heavy downpours linked to the storm triggered the city's highest-level black rainstorm warning on Thursday morning.
The unrelenting rain caused flooding in the streets, disrupting classes, court hearings, and nearly 150 flights.
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi could see total rainfall of up to 600mm from Tuesday to Thursday, raising the risk of further flooding and landslides. President Lai Ching Te was briefed on the situation and more than 31,000 soldiers were placed on standby for rescue operations.
Podul is the latest in a string of extreme weather events to hit the region this summer. Taiwan was struck by Typhoon Danas in July, followed by record-breaking rain earlier this month that killed at least five people.
Scientists warn that a warming of the atmosphere and oceans, caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is increasing the intensity of tropical storms, leading to heavier rainfall and stronger winds.
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CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
In cramped, sweaty Hong Kong, climate change is making things worse for the poorest
Asia China Climate change HomesFacebookTweetLink Follow On a sweltering summer afternoon in Hong Kong, Yeung Fong-yan's flat felt like an oven. Her air conditioner ran at full blast, but the tiny, tin-roofed room still baked in the heat, with a thermometer inside reading 36°C (96.8°F). 'Sometimes it's so hot we can't even sleep,' Yeung said, seated on the small bed that doubles as her couch, dining table and sleeping quarters. Her 13-year-old grandson had just returned home from school, exhausted and drenched in sweat after climbing nine floors to reach their apartment. The two live together in a rooftop structure, on an elevator-less building in the crowded district of Sham Shui Po. Like many low-income families in the neighborhood, they've been pushed into makeshift housing by soaring rents and a chronic shortage of public homes in a city that is, on paper at least, one of the world's wealthiest. During summer, the thin walls offer no insulation, the cracked roof leaks under heavy rain, and the heat turns the space into a furnace. With heavy humidity, Hong Kong's subtropical climate makes already hot days feel even more intense. In recent months, Hong Kong has been hit with relentless heat warnings. Yet tens of thousands of residents remain sardined into homes smaller than a parking space, where staying cool is a luxury few can afford as the climate warms. An estimated 220,000 people live in subdivided units, 'cage homes', or illegal rooftop flats across the semi-autonomous Chinese city. Many units are poorly ventilated, windowless, and often infested with cockroaches, rats and bed bugs. 'Some of the conditions are quite inhumane,' said Sze Lai Shan, deputy director of the nonprofit Society for Community Organization (SoCO). 'They live in spaces only 15 square feet. They share the kitchen and toilet with 15, 20, or even over 30 households.' Constructed with basic building materials such as sheet metal, these types of homes become abnormally hot during the day and trap heat well into the night, a stark contrast to the gleaming steel and glass skyscrapers that fill the skyline of China's premier finance hub. Indoor temperatures in such flats reached as high as 41°C (105.8°F), even when it was cooler outside, according to a SoCO survey this year. For many, this year's heat has felt worse than ever. In the same survey, 93% of residents said this summer was less bearable than previous years. Overcrowded cities are becoming disproportionately hotter amid a changing climate. According to a World Bank report, average temperatures in cities across Asia were measured to be up to 5.9°C (10.6°F) warmer than their rural surroundings. With summer in full swing CNN spoke to multiple residents of subdivided units, many of who asked to only use one name or remain anonymous for privacy reasons. 'It's so hot it feels like you're getting heatstroke,' said Mr. Wu, a middle-aged man living in a subdivided flat without air conditioning in Sham Shui Po. Inside his narrow room, packed with a small bed and scattered trinkets, the heat becomes unbearable by mid-afternoon. Just blocks away, 15-year-old Roy lives with his mother in a small, windowless subdivided unit – also without air conditioning. 'It's really stuffy. I feel like I'm cut off from the fresh air outside. I feel like I'm cut off from the world,' he said. Stigma around his living conditions has made Roy socially withdrawn. 'It's like there's a wall or a divider barring us from meeting new friends. I'm in a gloomy and heavy mood. I've lost my confidence,' he said. Roy's physical health has also suffered. A severe fever led to facial nerve paralysis, which he believes was worsened by the living conditions in his cramped flat. Nearby, 69-year-old retiree Mr. Tse spends his days at the local library to escape the heat. 'It's still hot after I come back,' he said. To cope, he takes three cold showers a day. For Yeung, staying cool means sacrifice. During the summer, she cuts down to just one meal a day so she can afford to keep the air conditioner running for her grandson. Across the city, a woman living in a rooftop slum in Kwun Tong told CNN she 'feels like she's living in a barbecue,' adding that the heat gives her stomach problems. According to SoCO's 2024 summer survey, 83% of residents in subdivided homes reported sleep problems, while 60% experienced emotional instability, more than half had skin conditions, and about a third reported dizziness. The extreme heat inside Hong Kong's subdivided flats stems not only from poor housing, but also from an intensifying climate crisis. According to climate monitoring agency Copernicus, 2024 was Earth's hottest year on record. And Hong Kong was no exception. That year, the number of 'very hot days' – when temperatures reached 33°C (91.4°F) or above – climbed to 52, up from just six two decades earlier, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, the city's meteorological agency. Two months ago, the city recorded its hottest June day in history. The Observatory warns that extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, intense and prolonged. And the city's poorest residents are bearing the brunt. In low-income districts like Sham Shui Po, where buildings are tightly packed, the urban heat island effect reduces nighttime cooling, leading to higher overnight temperatures. Mr. Wu told CNN the heat often keeps him awake. 'I feel very helpless,' he said. 'I can't even get a single good night's sleep. I just want a good sleep.' 'They don't want to live like this,' Sze said. 'But they have no choice.' Despite being a rich, developed city with one of the world's largest public housing systems, Hong Kong continues to face a severe shortage of liveable, accessible homes. For 14 years straight, the financial hub has ranked as the world's most unaffordable housing market, according to the Demographia International Housing Affordability survey. The Hong Kong government told CNN it is determined to tackle substandard housing by increasing public supply. Authorities aim to build 30,000 light public housing units by 2027-28, and say that over 21,000 transitional housing units are in place or on the way. Such promises are familiar to Hong Kong residents. Every administration since the city's 1997 handover to China have vowed to tackle the property crisis, yet the city continues to see a shortage of housing and eye-watering price tags. Hong Kong's government owns all land and and controls its supply, selling parcels to developers at auctions. It's a system that historically has raised significant revenue for for the city, allowing it to keep taxes low while still offering enviable public services. But it has also led to one of the hottest property markets in the world, persistent shortages of affordable housing and palpable inequality. When it comes to the subdivided housing crisis, some experts argue the real issue isn't just property prices or a lack of land, but a system that overlooks those most in need. 'This is purely a failure of public housing policy,' said Michael Wong, an economics professor at the University of Hong Kong. Wong says a major problem is that tenants aren't required to move out of public housing long after their incomes increase. Residents who become middle-income cling to their public homes, even when they hope to move out, due to the lack of affordable private flats in the city. This blocks new applicants from getting in and pushes lower-income residents into the private rental market. 'The people who really need it can't get it. They have to find some other type of housing, so they find these subdivided units with very poor quality,' he told CNN. Even in hazardous and often illegal conditions, tenants commonly pay more than HK$3,000 ($382 USD) monthly in rent. Despite growing concern, policy reforms have been slow. A proposed 'Basic Housing' bill, that the government hopes to enact in 2026, would introduce minimum size and ventilation standards for rental units, but some tenants fear the move will render their rents unaffordable. Meanwhile, pressure is mounting from Beijing. In a 2021 speech, Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, called on the city to 'bid farewell to subdivided flats and cage homes' by 2049. But for residents like Roy, the proposed reforms bring fear, not relief. Because he is underage and his mother lacks a Hong Kong ID, they don't qualify for public housing. The bill's new size and ventilation standards could make their unit illegal. 'I am scared that I will lose my home,' he said, 'but there isn't anything I can do.' The uncertain housing situation is pushing many of Hong Kong's low-income residents to a breaking point emotionally, physically and financially. 'I'm really angry. Many people will die. They will not be able to make it,' said 69-year-old Mr. Tse. SoCO's Sze says the consequences can be devastating. 'It is sad… many end up passing away in cage homes or subdivided flats. Sometimes we have to help arrange funeral services for them,' she said. For Yeung, now in her 60s, the biggest worry is for the next generation. 'I feel uncomfortable and upset,' she said. 'I want the government to help my grandson.' SoCO has urged the government to act faster. The group is calling for additional electricity and water subsidies – basic lifelines that could help vulnerable households stay cool as the city heats up. For now, families like Yeung's and Roy's are stuck in the scorching heat, with little certainty about when, or if, meaningful change will come. Chris Lau contributed reporting
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
At least 224 dead after flash floods hit India and Pakistan
Flash flooding has killed at least 224 people in India and Pakistan over the last 24 hours, according to local officials. Dozens more are missing after torrential rains struck two mountainous districts in the neighbouring countries. Some 1,600 people have been brought to safety. In India-controlled Kashmir, at least 60 people were in the Jammu and Kashmir region on Friday. More than 80 others have been reported missing. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, at least 164 people died in flash floods while rescuers evacuated 1,300 stranded tourists from a mountainous district hit by landslides. Among those killed were 78 people in Buner district in the northwestern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a government administrator said. The deluge destroyed homes in villages and the death toll is likely to rise, Kashif Qayyum said. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the latest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Flash floods triggered by torrential rains kill 120 in India and Pakistan
Flash floods triggered by torrential rains have killed at least 120 people and left scores of others missing in India and Pakistan over the past 24 hours, officials said, as rescuers brought to safety some 1,600 people from two mountainous districts in the neighbouring countries. Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in India's Himalayan regions and Pakistan's northern areas, which are prone to flash floods and landslides. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions. Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly because of climate change, while damage from the storms has also increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions. In India-controlled Kashmir, rescuers searched for missing people in the remote Himalayan village of Chositi on Friday after flash floods a day earlier left at least 60 people dead and at least 80 missing, officials said. Officials halted rescue operations overnight but rescued at least 300 people on Thursday after a powerful cloudburst triggered floods and landslides. They said many missing people were believed to have been washed away. At least 50 seriously injured people were treated in local hospitals, many of them rescued from a stream filled with mud and debris. Disaster management official Mohammed Irshad said the number of missing people could increase. Weather officials forecast more heavy rains and floods in the area. Chositi, in Kashmir's Kishtwar district, is the last village accessible to motor vehicles on the route of an ongoing annual Hindu pilgrimage to a mountainous shrine at an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,500ft). Officials said the pilgrimage, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5, was suspended. The devastating floods swept away the main community kitchen set up for the pilgrims, as well as dozens of vehicles and motorbikes. More than 200 pilgrims were in the kitchen at the time of the flood, which also damaged or washed away many of the homes clustered together in the foothills, officials said. Photos and videos on social media show extensive damage with household goods strewn next to damaged vehicles and homes in the village. Authorities made makeshift bridges on Friday to help stranded pilgrims cross a muddy water channel. Kishtwar district is home to multiple hydroelectric power projects, which experts have long warned pose a threat to the region's fragile ecosystem. In northern and north-western Pakistan, flash floods killed at least 60 people while rescuers evacuated 1,300 stranded tourists from a mountainous district hit by landslides. At least 35 people were reported missing in these areas, according to local officials. More than 360 people, mostly women and children, have died in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26. Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said rescuers worked for hours to save 1,300 tourists after they were trapped by flash flooding and landslides in the Siran Valley in Mansehra district on Thursday. The Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan has been hit by multiple floods since July, triggering landslides along the Karakoram Highway, a key trade and travel route linking Pakistan and China that is used by tourists to travel to the scenic north. The region is home to scenic glaciers that provide 75% of Pakistan's stored water supply. Pakistan's disaster management agency has issued fresh alerts for glacial lake outburst flooding in the north, warning travellers to avoid affected areas. A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall in Pakistan from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to 15% heavier because of global warming. In 2022, the country's worst monsoon season on record killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated 40 billion dollars in damage.
