Already Dealing With Deadly Flooding, China Faces Down a Hurricane

One the past week, heavy rains and flooding in southwestern China have killed 36 people, with 166 more missing, says the CBC.

“State television has broadcast dramatic pictures of bridges and houses being washed away around Beichuan and Dujiangyan in Sichuan, a region that is still recovering from a massive earthquake in 2008 that killed nearly 70,000 people.”

Now, on top of the downpour, residents of southeastern China and Taiwan are facing down a powerful category two hurricane, Typhoon Soulik. (A hurricane and a typhoon are the same thing. Different names are used in different parts of the world.) Sichuan is pretty far west of Soulik’s projected path, though it could see some effects from the storm. Soulik’s projected path will take the storm onto mainland China before turning north.

According to the BBC,  ”Hundreds of soldiers are on stand-by for emergency response operations and 102 military camps have been prepared as emergency shelters, the Central Emergency Operations Center said.”

The U.S. Department of State is telling people to brace for “heavy rain and strong winds” and to follow instructions from authorities. They have contact information for any Americans overseas.

More from Smithsonian.com:

Typhoon Morakot Reminds Us to Prepare for Hurricanes
While the East Coast Focused on Sandy, Typhoon Son-tinh Battered East Asia

Colin Schultz | | READ MORE

Colin Schultz is a freelance science writer and editor based in Toronto, Canada. He blogs for Smart News and contributes to the American Geophysical Union. He has a B.Sc. in physical science and philosophy, and a M.A. in journalism.