SHANGHAI – Shanghai has evacuated almost 283,000 people from vulnerable coastal and low-lying areas as Typhoon Co-May made landfall in the Chinese financial hub on Wednesday evening, bringing lashing rains and winds.
Almost a third of flights from Shanghai’s two international airports have been cancelled, the city’s news service said, totaling around 640.
The Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory upgraded an earlier yellow rainstorm alert to orange on Wednesday afternoon, the second-highest warning level.
Typhoon Co-May first made landfall in eastern Zhejiang province around 4:30 am Wednesday (2030 GMT Tuesday), with winds near its center of 83 kilometers per hour.
“From last night to 10:00 am today, 282,800 people have been evacuated and relocated, basically achieving the goal of evacuating all those who needed to be evacuated,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.
More than 1,900 temporary shelters have been set up across the city, authorities said. AFP
In a village on the outskirts of Shanghai on Wednesday evening, one such shelter — a large hall filled with dozens of iron beds — was mostly occupied by elderly people, AFP reporters saw.
Around 20 people sat on beds or gathered around tables to eat dinner, along with local community staff.
Sheets of rain inundated the city without pause on Wednesday, with pedestrians bracing their umbrellas against gusts and delivery drivers splashing through huge puddles as they made their way through sodden streets.
Ferry services have been canceled, additional speed limits are in place on highways, and there has been some disruption to metro and train services.
However, Shanghai’s Legoland and Disneyland remained open on Wednesday morning. AFP
