Typhoon Soudelor 2015

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Posting Date: August 10, 2015, 1:00:00 PM

Meteorological Summary

Typhoon Soudelor has weakened over eastern China after making landfalls in Saipan, Taiwan, and China. The storm made landfall in Taiwan at 21:00 UTC on Saturday, August 8, approximately 32 km north-northeast of Hualien City, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to mainly the northern third of the island. Maximum sustained winds were approximately 193 km/h at landfall. In the capital city of Taipei, winds gusted as high as 138 km/h in the city center, while nearby Taoyuan International Airport had wind gusts of up to 149 km/h. Portions of the city of Taipei saw up to ~550 mm of rainfall, while the center of the city saw around 320 mm. Soudelor’s maximum observed rainfall fell short of Typhoon Morakot’s in 2009 due to the storm’s relatively fast motion, although up to ~1,270 mm of rainfall was reported at Datong Township in northeastern Taiwan. 

Soudelor’s landfall in mainland China occurred just after 14:10 UTC on Sunday, August 9, south of Putian City in Fujian Province. Maximum sustained winds of up to approximately 136 km/h were reported in Xiuyu District, Putian City, and rainfall amounts exceeded 300 mm in some locations. Jiuxian Shan reported the strongest wind gust in eastern China at around 143 km/h.

Soudelor also impacted Japan, bringing sustained winds of up to 160 km/h to portions of Japan’s Ryukyu islands. The storm has weakened significantly and turned northeastward, although heavy rain and flooding may continue to cause problems in parts of eastern China, spreading to South Korea and a portion of Japan. 

Reported Damage in Taiwan

According to reports, damage in Taiwan appears to be widespread but not catastrophic. A record-breaking power outage left 4 million customers without power during the storm, a record set by Typhoon Herb in 1996 at 2.79 million, according to the Taiwan Power Company. Current estimates from the Taiwan Council of Agriculture have projected crop losses at NTD 600 million. At least 812 schools were damaged, and Taiwan's Ministry of Education estimates financial impacts of approximately NTD 120 million, as stated by Taiwan News. As of 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 8, government officials had reported more than 2,000 downed trees in Taipei and bus services were temporarily suspended. Taiwan’s Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center has confirmed seven deaths and more than 400 injuries from Soudelor, contributed to by a mudslide in Sanxia, New Taipei City, and strong waves in Yilan County.

In preparation for Typhoon Soudelor, at least 11,800 people had been evacuated from 17 counties and cities in Taiwan, and more than 35,000 military personnel were relocating residents as the storm crossed the island. Conditions in Taiwan as Soudelor made landfall included flying debris, storm surge, mudslides, and flooding. Reports in the storm’s aftermath have included damage to roadways and vulnerable coastal properties.

Damage from Typhoon Soudelor as seen on August 9, 2015

Reported Damage in China

While total losses will not be known until conditions stabilize and all damage has been assessed, current governmental economic loss projections for China total about CNY 8.7 billion, spanning four provinces, 23 cities, and 131 counties/districts/townships. The Chinese government estimates that Typhoon Soudelor has affected approximately 3.39 million people in China across the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, and Jiangxi, displacing more than 700,000 people. Statements indicate that approximately 48,000 houses have been damaged and 3,200 structures have collapsed across the four impacted provinces. Agricultural implications for China are said to be notable, with government and regional estimates showing more than 101,000 hectares of crop area affected in Fujian and Zhejiang, and 4,700 hectares of crops damaged in Zhejiang. More than 500 flights were canceled, and nearly 200 high-speed trains were halted as the storm hit China.

Two emergency response teams were sent to Fujian and Zhejiang, the provinces most heavily impacted by Soudelor, and a grade-IV emergency was issued by officials. Even before the storm struck, more than 1.4 million homes in Fujian Province were reported without power from damaging winds. Authorities had evacuated more than 163,000 people from southeast China and called 32,000 vessels back to port.

Flooding, heavy rain, and damaging winds have downed more than 10,000 trees in the city of Fuzhou. The Chinese government is currently reporting 21 Soudelor-related deaths.

Industry Impacts

Because structures in Taiwan and China are relatively well-engineered and the mountainous terrain of Taiwan broke up the storm system significantly, thus decreasing its intensity and potential impact, building stock fared rather well under the severe storm conditions of Typhoon Soudelor. Furthermore, much of the economic loss experienced in the impacted regions was from typically uninsured or underinsured sources, such as agriculture. Take-up rates for both China and Taiwan are relatively low, especially for residential lines of business, although some business interruption losses may be seen due to the extensive power outages and transportation interruptions.

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Posting Date: August 10, 2015, 1:00:00 PM