Typhoon-Induced Disasters in China in 2023: Spatio-Temporal Characteristics and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Measures
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Abstract:
In 2023, tropical cyclone activity over the Northwest Pacific had the characteristics of lower frequency but higher intensity. Six damaging tropical cyclones or typhoons impacted China, and typhoon disasters exhibited a concentrated manifestation during the autumn. Driven by the transition phase of El Nino superimposed on anomalously warm sea surface temperature and associated atmospheric circulation anomalies in the North Pacific, typhoons brought record-breaking hourly precipitation extremums unseen in 1984-2022 in China, while their wind speed impacts were generally comparable to historical averages. Regarding disaster losses, these typhoons collectively resulted in 12 fatalities/missing persons, 7000 collapsed houses, an affected crop area of 34.76×104 hm2, and direct economic losses amounting to 47.49 billion yuan. All disaster loss metrics were significantly lower than the averages of 1984-2022. A pronounced discrepancy emerged when comparing standardized disaster impact indices. The percentile ranking of the Comprehensive Typhoon Disaster Impact Index was, on average, 26.1 percentage points lower than that of the Integrated Precipitation and Wind Impact Index. This significant contrast primarily stems from the effectiveness of the disaster prevention and mitigation system. Meteorological departments provided crucial support for risk preparedness through accurate forecasts for typhoon tracks and torrential rain bands. Furthermore, efficient coordination among emergency management agencies at all levels, which was achieved by comprehensive measures such as pre-disaster risk management and emergency interagency response, played a pivotal role in significantly reducing disaster losses.