September 15, 2024 6:54 PM.
In China, authorities are preparing for heavy rain as a strong typhoon approached the country’s heavily populated eastern seaboard. According to Beijing’s emergency management ministry, typhoon Bebinca is expected to make landfall along a swath of coastline including the megacity of Shanghai sometime between tonight and tomorrow morning. The ministry said in a statement that the storm would cause “heavy to torrential” downpours with “local heavy or extremely heavy rainstorms” between today and Tuesday.
The water resources ministry on Saturday launched a level-four emergency response for flooding in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui.
In the Philippines, six people died and at least two were missing in the wake of tropical storm Bebinca. It was the sixth tropical cyclone to lash the Philippines since January this year. It has affected over two lakh people in nearly 300 villages.
An average of 20 typhoons pound the Philippines yearly, triggering severe flooding, landslides, and other extreme natural disasters.
Typhoon Bebinca is expected to make landfall along a swath of China’s densely populated eastern seaboard between Sunday night and Monday morning, according to Beijing’s emergency management ministry.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that all flights at Shanghai’s two main airports would be cancelled from 8 pm on Sunday (1200 GMT) because of the storm.
“Affected by Typhoon Bebinca, the traffic capacity of Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao airports has decreased today,” CCTV said.
“Flight adjustments at the two main airports will be promptly released to the public in accordance with the impact of the typhoon,” it said.
The emergency management ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Bebinca would cause “heavy to torrential” downpours with “local heavy or extremely heavy rainstorms” between Sunday and Tuesday.
Officials held a meeting on Saturday to “research and deploy flood and typhoon control work in key areas”, it said.
Bebinca’s expected landfall will come during the Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday.
China’s railway operator is expecting passengers to take 74 million trips during the holiday, state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday.
The emergency management ministry said officials must “pay close attention to the development of the typhoon”, adding that “many people will be travelling, mobility will be high and safety risks will be prominent”.
The water resources ministry launched on Saturday a level-four emergency response — the lowest in a tiered system — for flooding in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, according to Xinhua.
The weather office issued orange typhoon warnings — the second-highest in a four-tier system — for several districts in Shanghai and areas of nearby provinces on Sunday.
It advised that people refrain from gathering in large numbers, boats return to port and rickety structures be strengthened against high winds.