Typhoon Bebinca Brings Shanghai to a Standstill
Shanghai, normally a bustling metropolis, was brought to a standstill on Monday as residents sheltered at home to wait out the worst of Typhoon Bebinca. The Category 1 storm, the most powerful tropical cyclone to directly hit the city in over seven decades, made landfall in Shanghai on Monday morning.
Packing top wind speeds of 151 kph near its eye, Bebinca landed in the city of nearly 25 million around 7:30 a.m., becoming the strongest storm to strike Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949. Heavy rain lashed the city, and strong winds felled more than 10,000 trees across Shanghai. Over 400,000 people were evacuated from at-risk homes in Bebinca's path.
Despite the storm's intensity, only one injury was reported by early afternoon. More than 56,000 rescue workers were deployed to assist residents. The storm caused significant disruption to travel plans during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with over 1,400 flights from Shanghai's two airports and over 570 passenger trains canceled since Sunday evening.
Parks and businesses were closed, and four districts in Shanghai upgraded weather alerts to the highest possible level. Some metro train services were disrupted, and highways and elevated roads were closed to traffic or had special speed restrictions in place. Resorts in Shanghai, including Shanghai Disney Resort, Jinjiang Amusement Park, and Shanghai Wild Animal Park, were temporarily closed, and many ferries halted.
By early Monday afternoon, the eye of the storm had crossed from Shanghai to neighboring Jiangsu province. However, rains were expected to continue in China's financial capital throughout the rest of the day. Shanghai is rarely subject to direct hits from strong typhoons, which generally make landfall further south. Yagi, a destructive Category 4 storm, roared past southern Hainan province last week.