The death toll from Typhoon Lekima has reached 49, while 21 are still missing across eastern China. Shandong Province, one of the hardest-hit areas, is suffering severe economic losses due to farm and greenhouse damage. Here is CGTN's Lu Sirui. 

Typhoon Lekima has swept through Shouguang city in China's eastern Shandong province, packing heavy rainfall and strong winds. Roads are flooded and farmlands have been destroyed. The city is an important vegetable supplier for the province and the whole country. Thousands of greenhouses are flooded, while 90 thousand villagers along the river have been relocated due to the disaster. Police and security officials are all working around the clock to minimize damage done to the city. Wang Yue, a villager from one of the flooded counties, owns 5 greenhouses. All of them have suffered damage from the typhoon.

WANG YUE VILLAGER "Two of my greenhouse have been completely destroyed. I have lost around 400 thousand yuan this year in total."

Before the typhoon arrived, the local government had encouraged villagers to buy insurance for their greenhouses. For a regular-size greenhouse, the owner only needed to pay 200 yuan, and another 400 yuan would be covered by the government. This would allow owners to get at least 50 thousand yuan in compensation if their greenhouses were destroyed in a natural disaster. But Wang refused.

WANG YUE VILLAGER "Last year's typhoon also destroyed my greenhouses. I loaned some money from the bank but did not pay it back until this year's flood. I don't want to pay more for the insurance."

Losses from last year's storm prompted an increase in vegetable prices across Shandong province. Learning from past experience, the local government has refined the sewage system and improved the efficiency of cleaning rivers and ditches. Special areas for greenhouse planting are also on the way.

LIU CHUNXIANG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR VEGETABLE TECHNICAL GUIDANCE SECTION OF SHOUGUANG CITY "Next we need to prove our ability to resist harsh conditions. The technical department should educate villagers on how to construct their greenhouses solidly; and we should also better the management during the aftermath of such disasters to help people recover their production as soon as possible."

Officials estimate that Lekima might cause a loss of 1 billion yuan to the city. Lu Sirui, CGTN, Shandong.