A mudslide caused by Typhoon Rananim left at least 25 people dead, 22 missing and nine injured early Friday morning in the mountains of Zhejiang Province.

 

Officials with the Leqing Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said 52 buildings were destroyed, some of which were classrooms and dormitories of primary and middle schools. A total of 27 families were affected by the disaster, which took place between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m., when most of the residents were still asleep.

 

Typhoon Rananim, the 14th typhoon of the year, had ripped through Zhejiang Province Thursday night and already killed 115 people.

 

Local media are reporting that life is beginning to return to normal in other typhoon-hit regions in the province.

 

In Wenling, the city hit hardest by the storm, about 38,000 evacuated residents have returned home or are settled in temporary residences until they rebuild their houses.

 

"We are ready to put up houses again and start a new life," said Liang Wugui, a migrant worker from Yunnan Province. He said that the local government had provided food and lodging.

 

By Sunday afternoon, electricity in about 70 percent of areas hit by power outages had been restored, according to the local power provider. Power is expected to be returned to those currently experiencing outages by Wednesday.

 

Most damaged roads and expressways have been reopened to traffic.

 

Victims' relatives in the town of Xinhe, on the outskirts of Wenling, have received subsidies from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, according to Zhang Wenyang, a top official in Xinhe.

 

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has allocated 46 million yuan (US$5.5 million) to typhoon-stricken areas in Zhejiang Province. The local government will also pay compensation to the victims' relatives.

 

The Ministry of Water Resources and Ministry of Finance have also appropriated 15 million yuan (US$1.8 million) to assist with reconstruction.

 

Insurance companies have begun their investigations of declared property losses. In Taizhou, another badly damaged area, 633 factories have filed damage claims, according to the local insurance association.

 

Tons of bleach powder and disinfectants were delivered to local residents to help prevent epidemic diseases from spreading, according to the Provincial Bureau of Public Health.

 

(China Daily August 16, 2004)