Tropical cyclone damages in Mainland China over 2005–2016: losses analysis and implications

This study analyzed the annual variation and provincial distribution of the number of landfalling tropical cyclones (TCs) and the associated losses in respect of direct economic losses, collapsed buildings, casualties, evacuated population, affected population, and the affected agricultural area in mainland China during 2005–2016. The numbers of western North Pacific TCs and landfall TCs were 24 and 7.5, respectively. The annual mean losses of TC disasters included 36.7 million affected people, 69.5 billion Yuan direct economic losses, and 254 deaths. For an average landfalling TC, the numbers were 4.9 million people, 9.3 billion Yuan, and 33.9 deaths, respectively. Most of the damages were caused by the small numbers of destructive TCs, and the top 10 TCs contributed to 48% of direct economic losses, 71% of deaths, and 66% of building damages. Among the provinces affected by TC disasters, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Fujian took the majority of the losses. Nevertheless, the casualties per landfalling TC were highest in Hunan (63.3 deaths), while mortalities (the rate of casualties to the evacuated population) in Henan (200.0 per 105 persons) and Yunnan (116.7 per 105 persons) were significantly higher than the other provinces (below 30 per 105 persons), indicating more population needed to be evacuated in future TC disasters in these provinces. The larger the number of landfalling TCs in a year or higher the wind force scale of a landfalling TC did not necessary lead to larger losses. However, stronger rainfall and/or a northeast-recurving track played a role in increasing the TC disaster losses.