Shanghai cleans up after worst storm in decades hits Chinese metropolis

Rescuers cleared fallen trees and other debris from the streets of Shanghai after the worst storm to hit the Chinese metropolis since 1949 disrupted transport and left tens of thousands without power.

Typhoon Bebinca made landfall on the east coast of Shanghai early Monday morning, packing winds of about 150 kilometers (95 miles) per hour, state media said.

The municipal news service reported that the typhoon caused “extensive damage throughout the city,” knocking down more than 1,800 trees and leaving 30,000 households without electricity.

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Many businesses have already closed for the Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday, and the city's 25 million residents have been advised to stay indoors.

According to the municipal news service, only one case of injury has been recorded so far.

Workers in orange overalls removed a large pile of corrugated iron and other metal that appeared to have fallen from a nearby building onto a main road in the city centre.

Shanghai resident Tracy Huang, who had gone outside to buy supplies, watched them as the rain continued to pour.

“I didn't plan to go outside today, but the power went out in our house,” she said.

“I don't know (when the power will be back on), but it could be this evening… community staff said repairs were underway,” she told AFP.

– Trees uprooted –

Authorities said 414,000 people across Shanghai had been evacuated to safe locations and tens of thousands of emergency personnel were ready to deploy.

AFP reporters saw uprooted trees blocking several roads in the city centre, and the municipal news service reported that cars had been smashed by flying debris.

Many streets in the city's former French Concession have become bright green, covered with the felled branches and leaves of the quarter's famous plane trees.

Bicycles and rubbish bags were strewn across the road as clean-up crews and some delivery drivers battled the pouring rain.

Navy veteran Tang Yongkui told AFP that years at sea had taught him not to fear storms, so he went outside to observe.

“The wind was very strong… You couldn't see the leaves on the trees, it was raining everywhere,” the 84-year-old said.

“But it looks like Shanghai's drainage system was pretty good in the end, because there's no water left there by now.”

Xiong Zhou, a doctor and resident of the northern Baoshan district, posted a video showing a real estate agency sign being torn down and dropped on the roof of his home.

“I feel quite nervous today, I keep checking what the situation is outside the window,” Xiong told AFP.

“The management company found several trees with weakened roots down below and immediately called me to move my car.”

A government live broadcast from Baoshan immediately after the typhoon showed strong winds snapping a row of trees on the riverbank.

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– Resumption of flights –

The typhoon paralyzed the usually bustling city as it made landfall.

Live video footage from the morning rush hour showed Shanghai's usually busy roads were virtually empty and its famous skyline was obscured by thick fog.

All flights from Shanghai airports were initially suspended but then gradually resumed as the storm continued throughout the day.

Motorways were reopened after being closed at 1am local time, and some ferries, subways and trains also resumed service.

State broadcaster CCTV said Bebinka was expected to move northwest, bringing heavy rain and wind to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.

Some residents, despite the bad weather, went about their business even in the midst of the storm.

“I've seen a lot of typhoons in the south, so I think Shanghai is OK,” city resident Wu Yun told AFP as she tried to open her umbrella against the wind.

This month, another typhoon, Yagi, killed at least four people on China's southern Hainan Island.

Bebinca also passed through Japan and the Philippines, where falling trees killed six people.

China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, which scientists say contribute to climate change by making extreme weather events more frequent and intense.

“This storm is a drill, a test for us,” said Navy veteran Tang, watching workers load branches and metal onto a truck.

“We cannot fight nature. But we must protect it…”

Author: Agence France-Presse

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