Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest in 70 years, hits China's financial center
Typhoon Bebinca - a Category 1 storm - made landfall in Shanghai on the morning of September 16. This is the strongest tropical storm to make direct landfall in China's financial center in more than 7 decades.
With maximum sustained winds of 151 km/h near its center, Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in the city of nearly 25 million people at around 7:30 a.m. local time. According to Chinese media, it became the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949.
A red alert has been issued and some coastal residents have been evacuated, according to a city government notice. Officials said about 9,000 people have been evacuated from Chongming, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
Shanghai is rarely directly affected by strong typhoons, which often hit southern China. Earlier, Typhoon Yagi, a category 4 storm, swept through the southern province of Hainan.
CCTV said all flights at Shanghai's two main airports were canceled from 8 p.m. on September 15 due to the storm.
Shanghai has also suspended some rail lines. The disruptions come as China celebrates its three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
Resorts in Shanghai have been temporarily closed, and many ferries have been suspended.
All highways were closed at 1am local time on September 16, and a 40km/h speed limit was imposed on city roads.
Shanghai's flood control headquarters received dozens of storm-related reports, mainly of fallen trees and billboards.
