Typhoon Dolphin forces mass evacuation across eastern China

Typhoon Dolphin has hit China's eastern coast, forcing more than a million people to leave their homes. Authorities in Zhejiang province moved around 390,000 residents to safety. In Shanghai, more than 30,000 people were taken from the most dangerous areas. Across the region, the total number of people evacuated was between one million and 1.7 million. About 500,000 of them were placed in emergency shelters. The storm brought very heavy rain, with some places receiving up to 24 inches. More than 100,000 homes were damaged. China's eastern coast is one of the country's most important economic areas, with a very large population. Officials ordered the evacuations early because they wanted to reduce the number of casualties.