This year's strongest typhoon has dampened the holiday spirit for most part of southeastern China. With gales of up to 170 kilometres per hour on Wednesday night, Typhoon Meranti first smacked Taiwan, and then slammed into the shores of Fujian province.

There were widespread power outages across the city of Xiamen, and local highways were closed. Authorities continued to issue a red alert on Thursday morning. The storm is expected to weaken as it moves further north into Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces, but high winds and torrential rain are still expected to batter China's eastern region for the coming days. The worst might be over in Fujian and Taiwan, but many are now left with counting the cost of Meranti.
 
A night of record-breaking destruction that crumbled electricity grids, uprooted trees, brought down billboards and left much of Fujian province ravaged. Even as the eye of Meranti departed from the shore, its residual force remained strong and its trail of casualties alarming. One fisherman died. Tens of thousands were evacuated from their homes. Even many of the roads were blocked and unusable.

"All the trees on both sides of the street have fallen down. You can hardly pass through. The water is very, very high. No vehicle smaller than mine could possibly pass," said Xiamen local resident.

While the full impact of Meranti is still unknown, it's likely much of the damage is beyond repair.

A 800-year-old bridge in Quanzhou, a rare cultural relic, was destroyed by the intense flooding. At least three other bridges also succumbed.

Even as the storm heads north, more rain is forecast in Fujian for the next few days.