Shanghai hit by strongest typhoon in over 70 years

SHANGHAI City in China has experienced the 'strongest typhoon' in over 70 years after typhoon Bebinca slashed the city with heavy rains and strong winds Monday morning.

Shanghai last experienced its strongest typhoon in 1949 when Typhoon Gloria hit the city.

Typhoon Bebinca landed in the coastal area of Lingang New City east of China while China is celebrating the three-day mid-Autumn Festival public holiday which started Sunday.

The typhoon, known as Beibijia in China, passed through the coast in the Yangtze River Delta region at around 7:30 a.m. local time on Monday, based on state media reports.

The typhoon caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled, sea vessels to return to port, and roads closed, including bridges and railways operations were temporarily suspended.

Shanghai's flood control headquarters have received numerous reports of toppled trees and fallen billboard due to the inclement weather, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Some of the resorts in Shanghai, which includes Shanghai Wild Animal Park, Shanghai Disney Resort, and Jinjiang Amusement Park have been closed temporarily

According to China Meteorological Administration, the typhoon's wind speed is up to 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph), this is equivalent to a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane.

It is the 13th typhoon of the year.

Over 25 million residents in the city were advised to stay at home prior to the landfall of the typhoon while there were 9,000 people who were evacuated from Chongming District.

Shanghai's flood control headquarters told CCTV they had already received dozens of reports of incidents related to the typhoon, mostly fallen trees and billboards.

"You can see that the surface of the sea is just wave after wave, each higher than the last," a CCTV report said.

CCTV reported further that 56,000 personnel, 2,500 rescue teams, and 12,000 fire rescue officers were on standby in preparation for the storm.(LAO)

• Tags
• #Shanghai City
• #China
• #Typhoon Bebinca
• #Heavy Rains
• #Lingang New City
• #Typhoon