A typhoon stronger than any seen locally in the last 70 years has hit Shanghai, prompting mass evacuations and bringing land, sea and air traffic to a standstill amid one of the busiest travel seasons for the People’s Republic.
Over 1,600 flights affected
Chinese authorities issued a red alert on Sunday, 15 September, warning that a category 1 typhoon was on its way to the financial centre which state media noted does not typically see such violent storms as their path of travel is usually further south.
#TyphoonBebinca's impact is clear as ever on #Shanghai's Huangpu River. The powerful winds and waves are a reminder of nature's force. pic.twitter.com/83UUsaaxmL
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) September 16, 2024
Ports were closed and evacuated, including Yangshan Deepwater Port, by Sunday evening, ferries were cancelled, train services to and from the special economic zone of Shenzhen were aborted, and aviation faced huge disruption as 423 arrivals and departures were cancelled and another 206 delayed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport; 206 cancellations and 75 delays occurred at Shanghai Hongqiao International; and 163 cancellations and 116 delays were suffered by flyers at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International. Across the region over 1,600 flights were affected during what is the travel season for the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival.
🔴CHINA 🇨🇳| #Typhoon_Bebinca : the category 1 storm hit the #Shanghai region Monday morning, causing quite significant damage in its path. #Bebinca became the most powerful typhoon to hit Shanghai since 1949 (75 years), with gusts reaching 30 to 43.5 m/s according to specialists. pic.twitter.com/nwX3MyRIah
— Nanana365 (@nanana365media) September 16, 2024
Hundreds of thousands evacuated
In addition to the flight and travel chaos, 414,000 people were evacuated to school gyms and public venues. The preparations seem to have paid off. When the typhoon, named Bebinca, made landfall at at 7:30 am in the Pudong business district, it brought winds of 151 km/h, damaged or felled 10,000 trees, and blacked out power for at least 380 households.
Beyond the built-up areas, at least 53 hectares of agricultural land were flooded. Extraordinarily, according to initial media reports, only four homes were damaged and one elderly man injured by a falling tree.
Typhoon #Bebinca made landfall in Shanghai on Monday morning as a Category 1 storm, the strongest tropical cyclone to directly hit the Chinese financial hub since Typhoon Gloria in 1949.#TyphoonBebinca #Shanghai #Typhoon pic.twitter.com/teZp6Goqp5
— 鳳凰資訊 PhoenixTV News (@PhoenixTV_News) September 16, 2024
Autumn Festival travel disrupted
Within hours, Shanghai’s over 60,000 emergency responders were already clearing damage and debris and flights were resuming by Monday afternoon, with authorities keen to get back on schedule to meet the needs of those travelling for the Autumn Festival, which began on 14th September. That includes an anticipated 74 million rail passengers plus another 121 million taking other forms of transport to reach their families and attend celebrations.
Those figures, if accurate, mean the Chinese travel sector is 42% up for the holiday season year-on-year, but the autumn festival spending boost officials will have been looking forward to may now take a hit due to the impact of the storm.
Travellers are urged to check road, rail, ferry and aviation updates from their carriers and their travel hubs, to ensure they avoid unnecessary waits or other disruptions and potential dangers. Up to 30 centimetres of rain are still forecast to fall by Wednesday, 18 September.
