Southern Taiwan Reels from Super Typhoon Meranti's Devastation

Port staff check the damaged bridge cranes in Kaohsiung, southeast China's Taiwan. Kaohsiung Port saw facilities damage due to the effect of Typhoon Meranti, Sept. 15.

The storm, registered as a super typhoon before losing strength after sweeping across southern Taiwan, made landfall in the early hours near the major city of Xiamen. Dozens of flights and train services have been canceled, state television said, disrupting travel at the start of the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

Pictures on state media showed flooded streets, fallen trees and crushed cars in Xiamen as rescuers in boats evacuated people. About 320,000 homes were without power in Xiamen. Across the whole of Fujian province, where Xiamen is located, 1.65 million homes had no electricity.

A woman stands amid downed tree branches on a street in Xiamen, China's eastern Fujian province, after Typhoon Meranti made landfall with winds up to 230kph on Sept. 15.

A man rides through a flooded street after Typhoon Meranti made landfall on southeastern China, in Fuzhou, Fujian province, China.

Tens of thousands of people had already been evacuated as the storm approached and fishing boats called back to port. One person died and 38 were injured in Taiwan, the Central Emergency Operation Centre there said, as the typhoon hit the southern part of the island on Wednesday.

Meranti was a Category 5 typhoon, the strongest classification awarded by Tropical Storm Risk storm tracker, before it made landfall on the mainland and has since been downgraded to Category 2.

A man stands in front of a damaged vehicle and convenience store in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

A Taiwanese coastguard officer secures the perimeter of a sinking fishing vessels caused by super typhoon Meranti in Kaohsiung city.

Fallen cargo containers caused by super typhoon Meranti in Kaohsiung city.

People view sinking fishing vessels caused by super typhoon Meranti in Kaohsiung city, southern Taiwan. The storm left close to a million households without power and water supplies.

Residents clean up a flooded street in Xiamen, in China's eastern Fujian province after Typhoon Meranti. Parts of Taiwan came to a standstill on Sept. 15 as super typhoon Meranti brought the strongest winds in 21 years, while China issued a red alert for waves as the storm bore down on the mainland.

Birds fly over the toppled shipping containers in Kaohsiung.

Residents are evacuated onto a military armored vehicle in Taiwan's southern Pingtung county on Sept. 14, 2016. Parts of Taiwan were brought to a standstill Wednesday as super typhoon Meranti skirted past the island's southern tip, bringing the strongest winds in 21 years and disrupting traffic ahead of a major holiday.

Motorists brave high winds and rain brought by Super Typhoon Meranti in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan on Sept. 14.

A motorist holds on to a post as the typhoon hits in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on Sept. 14.

A huge wave breaks over infrastructure at the fishing port in southern Taitung county on Sept. 14.

A rescuer tries to assist a motorist victim as high winds and rain of Super Typhoon Meranti lash Kaohsiung, Taiwan on Sept. 14.

People rush to a shelter as high winds and rain from Super Typhoon Meranti lash Kaohsiung on Sept. 14.

A car drives past a collapsed traffic sign, toppled by strong winds on Sept. 14.

A man walks past downed shipping containers at the Kaohsiung Harbor on Sept. 14.

A man salvages usable materials from debris after strong winds and rain on Sept. 14.

Debris covers a car after in Kaohsiung on Sept. 14.

Collapsed power lines partially block a road in Pingtung county on Sept. 14.

Local residents help clear fallen trees from the streets in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Sept. 14.

A person braves through high winds and rain in Kaohsiung on Sept. 14.