Power, water supply resuming after Typhoon Meranti

XIAMEN -- Repair workers in Xiamen, eastern China's Fujian Province, are busy restoring the power grid damaged by Typhoon Meranti, which landed in the city Thursday.

After its landfall at 3:05 am, Meranti, the strongest typhoon this year, cut off tap water supplies and caused a mass blackout in the city.

The water supply in most areas resumed by 8 pm Thursday. Thousands of workers from Fujian have been dispatched to repair three 220-KV power supply towers blown down by the winds, according to the city government.

Xiamen Power Supply said repair efforts were difficult due to fallen trees and disrupted traffic. Power supply in areas such as medicine, water conservation and telecommunications were prioritized.

The city will also work to resume other damaged infrastructure and transport links, said the government.

According to reports, the typhoon killed one and caused the relocation of 46,327 people, damaging 113 houses and blowing down 350,000 trees in the city.

According to the National Meteorological Center, the typhoon weakened to a tropical depression hours after landfall and moved northwards, bringing downpours to the provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui and the city of Shanghai.