Shanghai was hit by Typhoon Bebinca, which China has described as one of the strongest storms in seven decades.
According to Reuters, Shanghai was brought to a standstill on Monday, September 16, as the strongest storm since 1949 hit the city, forcing residents to stay home.
As per state media, the Category 1 typhoon made landfall in the metropolis of around 25 million people at about 7:30 a.m. local time.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) said that the speed on wind near the eye of the typhoon is 151 kph (94 mph), whereas top-packed winds are moving at 130 kilometres per hour (80 mph), making it a Category 1 Atlantic hurricane.
The authorities issued a red typhoon warning, which is the most severe alert for the heavy rainfall, gale force winds, and coastal floods in eastern China.
Moreover, the typhoon has also disrupted flights, trains, and highways on the three-day national holiday, the Mid-Autumn festival, or Moon festival, kicked off on Sunday.
All flights at the two international airports of the city have been cancelled since Sunday 8 a.m..
Furthermore, as per local officials, 400,000 people from Shanghai Metropolitan and 9,000 people from Chongming District have been evacuated to safe places.
To note, this is the second major typhoon to hit China in September 2024 after the world’s second most powerful tropical cyclone of 2024, Super Typhoon Yagi.
