Typhoon Bebinca, the 13th of this year, made landfall in China's financial hub Shanghai at about 7:30 a.m. Monday, packing maximum wind speeds near its center of around 151 kilometers per hour.
It is the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949, according to Xinhua.
Classified as a severe tropical storm, Bebinca is expected to move northwest at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour with decreasing intensity. It is forecast to bring torrential rainstorms to Shanghai and neighboring eastern Chinese provinces, including Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui, according to China Meteorological Administration.
Pedestrians struggle with their umbrellas in strong winds and rain from the passage of Typhoon Bebinca in Shanghai, September 16, 2024. /CFP
The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters raised the emergency response in Shanghai and Zhejiang to Level III and activated the Level IV emergency response for Anhui on Sunday. China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most severe.
According to the Shanghai flood control headquarters, as of 5 p.m. Sunday, over 377,000 people had been relocated and 811 vessels had been moved to safe locations.
Shanghai's two major airports, Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport, have canceled all flights starting 8 p.m. Sunday.
Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown and Wishing Star Park were temporarily closed from 5 p.m. Sunday, with plans to resume normal operations on September 17, according to the Shanghai Disney Resort. A total of 74 tourist attractions in Shanghai have been suspended due to potential risks during the ongoing Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Sunday to Tuesday.
In Zhejiang, local officials have shut down coastal port operations, halted passenger ship services and put water-related construction projects on hold, according to the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration.
China's Ministry of Emergency Management sent out more than 3,000 rescuers, nearly 1,000 sets of rescue equipment and five helicopters to assist typhoon-affected areas on Sunday.
(With input from Xinhua)
(Cover: A man walks with an umbrella near The Bund during the passage of Typhoon Bebinca in Shanghai, September 16, 2024. /CFP )