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At least 21 people are dead after Typhoon Gaemi wreaked havoc across the South China Sea, striking the Philippines, Taiwan, and then China.
The typhoon formed on July 19 hundreds of miles east of the Philippines, and strengthened to become a hurricane with 80 mph winds in four days. However, it continued on a path far from the islands, brushing by with heavy rain in addition to its winds. Unfortunately, the strong waves capsized an oil tanker carrying around 400,000 gallons of industrial fuel, leading to a massive oil leak into the ocean as the ship sank-- stretching over 2.5 miles. Philippine authorities are now trying to contain the spill as fast as possible, as it could have huge environmental implications if not handled properly. As for the crew of the ship, one was killed when the ship sunk but the other 16 crew members were successfully rescued from the situation.
Then, on July 24, it made landfall on Taiwan's eastern coast with winds of 125 mph and heavy rain, making it the strongest storm to hit Taiwan in eight years. Floods rapidly engulfed numerous streets and dozens of towns, killing three people. Over 500,000 people have lost power, stock markets were closed, all domestic flights have been canceled, and trains were temporarily stopped. Officials stated that some areas of the island country received up to 40 inches of rain in under 24 hours, while parts of the city of Kaohsiung to the south received up to 53 inches of rain in the same time period. In fact, the calculated total rainfall amounts in some areas could reach over 87 inches. The waves did serious damage to Taiwan's ships as well, with five cargo ships running aground and one sinking. Fu Shun, a Tanzania-flagged cargo ship, went down as the storm arrived, and three crew members were rescued while another six are missing.
After passing through Taiwan, it moved through the Taiwan Strait before making landfall yesterday night in China's southeastern province of Fujian, near the city of Fuqing. Since heavy rain already passed through the region recently, locals believe that the already-soaked ground could further exacerbate the extreme flooding expected with the storm. Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated before the storm made landfall, fearing the worst. Gaemi is now continuing through Fujian Province, hitting the major city of Fuzhou along the way, and is expected to keep weakening as it passes through Jiangxi Province while delivering rain to the entire region around it.
Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Baby chimpanzees sometimes make dolls out of sticks and play with them.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths. (Charles Spurgeon)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Fealty (noun)- Fealty is an old-fashioned and somewhat literary word that refers to intense loyalty or fidelity to a person, group, etc. More narrowly, fealty refers to the fidelity of a vassal or feudal tenant to their lord.
In a Sentence: Authors who inspire such fealty can guarantee a publisher good sales, no matter the quality of the books they write.
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