Typhoon Bebinca makes landfall in Shanghai

Shanghai/Nanjing, Sep 16 (IANS) Bebinca, the 13th typhoon of this year, made landfall in Shanghai at about 7:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory.

The typhoon, with the maximum wind force near its center reaching 42 metres per second, churned ashore at the Lingang area of Pudong district.

Bebinca, believed to be the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai in 75 years, has unleashed gales and torrential rain in the city. Pictures on social media showed trees uprooted and light poles toppled.

Monday is the second day of the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Shanghai authorities have advised residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, Xinhua news agency reported.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday activated the Level-IV emergency response for east China’s Anhui Province and raised the response in Shanghai and Zhejiang to Level III.

Bebinca has led to flight cancellations over Shanghai and the suspension of passenger ferry operations in the city. Shanghai Railway Station also suspended passenger trains on several routes passing through the city from Sunday to Monday.

Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown and Wishing Star Park remain closed on Monday, with the two resort hotels providing services to in-house guests, the Shanghai Disney Resort said in a statement, adding that normal operations are expected to resume from Tuesday.

Before the typhoon arrived, the Yangshan freight port was closed. Arrangements were made for truck drivers from outside Shanghai to stay in a “drivers’ home” near the port.

According to Fan Jianrong with Shanghai Lingang Special Area Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., there used to be 30 beds in the “drivers’ home,” but the group managed to increase the number to 80, collecting more mattresses and other supplies to accommodate more drivers.

Zhang Kewei, 45, bought four dishes from the canteen for his supper on Sunday night. He told Xinhua that he would stay there until the typhoon leaves. “It’s so heart-warming to have a safe haven like this in such bad weather.”

Also benefitting from the arrangements is Zhang Shixing from the city of Zhoukou in central China’s Henan Province. After a shower, the 55-year-old man was enjoying an ice cream. “During this break, I’d like to have the seat covers in the truck washed,” he said, adding that the “drivers’ home” was equipped with washing machines and dryers.

Doctors and nurses in the city have been kept busy, as the typhoon created trouble for their patients.

Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital issued a notice on Monday morning, telling pregnant women who were not able to come for their regular checks could reschedule their appointments. In case of emergency, however, they could still come and would find doctors in the hospital.

Obstetrician Zhou Wenting braved the rain to arrive at the hospital, but her patient didn’t come. On Monday morning she called about a dozen patients to help them rearrange their appointments. “It was not safe for pregnant women to go outdoors on such a day,” she said.

In the afternoon, she had appointments with more than 50 patients. “The wind and rain have abated, and they might arrive late,” she said. “No worries. I will be here waiting for them.”

The Ruijin Hospital, affiliated to the School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has received some emergency patients, including road maintenance workers, disaster relief workers and pedestrians who were injured on the slippery roads or by falling objects.

Zhou Jianping, a doctor with the hospital, arrived at his post in the morning despite all the difficulties on the road. “We should perform our duties and keep to our posts, even if only one patient comes to see us.”

The situation in Shanghai was reported to be improving late on Monday, with the center of the typhoon moving away. Information from authorities shows that the services of passenger trains and flights are slowly being resumed.

As Bebinca passes through the neighboring Jiangsu Province from Shanghai, the local meteorological authorities in the city of Taicang recorded the strongest winds on Monday, reaching level 13 with a maximum speed of 37.5 meters per second.

As of 6 a.m. Monday, a total of 46,300 people had been relocated across Jiangsu, and over 20,000 vessels had taken shelter from the typhoon, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The province has mobilized more than 130,000 inspection personnel in total, with 33,500 conducting dike inspections and risk assessments.

“We work wherever there is danger to minimize losses,” said Liu Liwei, a repair worker from Taicang’s transportation authorities.

As the typhoon coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, affecting travelers, Jiangsu has also taken timely measures to ensure passenger safety. Multiple bridges over the Yangtze River and expressways across Jiangsu implemented traffic-control measures on Monday, and several subway sections in Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi and other cities in the province suspended operations.

Due to Bebinca, the resumption of fishing in Jiangsu, originally scheduled for Monday noon following the latest fishing break period, has been postponed. Fishing ports along the coast of Jiangsu have recalled fishing boats working outside.

The Jiangsu provincial meteorological bureau predicts that Typhoon Bebinca will move northwest at a speed of about 15 km per hour, gradually weakening in intensity, and enter the provincial capital Nanjing around 10 p.m. before reaching the neighboring Anhui Province around 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

–IANS

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