Floods in Philippines, China and Russia

Typhoon Utor struck the Philippines on Aug. 12, causing floods and landslides that left houses crushed, roads blocked, power lines downed and crops destroyed. Most of the damage was in Aurora province, about 300 kilometers northeast of Manila, but heavy rains and winds caused businesses and schools to close in the surrounding area. During each typhoon season, the Philippines sees about 20 storms.

Utor made landfall in Guangdong province in southern China on Aug. 19. Heavy rains, high winds and floods also caused damage in the Hunan and Guangxi Zhuang regions, where 105 people were killed and 115 were reported missing. In the northeast provinces bordering Russia, one of China’s major grain-growing areas, weeks of heavy rains caused floods and crop failures, affecting more than eight million people. 

In Russia, along the border with China, a month of rain from the same storm system caused some of the worst flooding in 120 years. Floods in Amur, Khabarovsk and the Jewish Autonomous regions caused extensive damage and the evacuation of over 20,000 people but no casualties.