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China’s financial hub of Shanghai was hit by Typhoon Bebinca on Monday morning as it made landfall as a Category 1 tropical cyclone. It was the most powerful storm to make a direct hit on the city in over seven decades.
The storm packed top wind speeds of 94 miles per hour, the strongest to hit Shanghai since 1949’s Typhoon Gloria. It disrupted transportation, downed trees and caused tens of millions to seek shelter.
Bebinca was the 13th typhoon of 2024, making landfall at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Monday, the Shanghai central meteorological observatory said, as Xinhua reported.
Evacuations were ordered for more than 414,000 people in the path of the storm, reported The Associated Press. An elderly man was hurt and taken to the hospital after a tree fell on Chongming Island in Shanghai, state media said.
Monday is the second of a three-day Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday, but the city’s authorities advised people to remain indoors, Xinhua reported. An emergency response was activated by the State Flood Control and Relief Headquarters for Shanghai and Zhejiang on Sunday.
Typhoon Bebinca led to flight cancellations and the suspension of ferry operations for passengers in the city, as well as several passenger train routes through Shanghai from Sunday to Monday.
The freight port at Yangshan was closed before the storm arrived, with arrangements made for accommodations for truck drivers at a “driver’s home” close to the port.
Fan Jianrong, an employee of a Shanghai investment group, said the number of beds at the driver’s home was increased from 30 to 80 to accommodate more drivers during the storm.
Zhang Kewei, a 45-year-old driver, purchased four canteen dishes there Sunday night, saying he would remain at the driver’s home until the storm was over.
“It’s so heart-warming to have a safe haven like this in such bad weather,” Kewei told Xinhua.
More than 10,000 trees were downed across Shanghai as rain and strong winds lashed the city, reported Reuters.
Since Sunday evening, over 1,400 flights had been canceled, along with more than 570 passenger trains, disrupting travel plans for many holiday travelers. State media reports said in excess of 56,000 rescue workers had been deployed.
Four Shanghai districts closed their parks and businesses, with weather alerts upgraded to the highest level. Traffic was closed or speed restrictions imposed on highways and elevated roads.
The eye of Bebinca had crossed over Shanghai into neighboring Jiangsu province by early Monday afternoon, but rainfall was expected to continue throughout the day.
Direct hits from strong storms rarely make landfall in Shanghai, with most coming inland further south. Deadly Category 4 storm Super Typhoon Yagi hit southern Hainan province earlier this month.
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