China Prepares for Heavy Rain as Typhoon Nears Shanghai

AFP/APP

Shanghai: Chinese authorities are bracing for heavy rain as Typhoon Bebinca approaches the country’s densely populated eastern coastline. The typhoon is expected to make landfall between Sunday night and Monday morning, affecting areas including the megacity of Shanghai, according to the emergency management ministry.

In a statement released on Saturday, the ministry warned that the storm would bring “heavy to torrential” downpours, with localized heavy or extremely heavy rainstorms predicted from Sunday through Tuesday.

Officials held a meeting on Saturday to discuss and coordinate flood and typhoon control measures in key areas, the statement said.

China’s water resources ministry has issued a level-four emergency response — the lowest level in its tiered system — for potential flooding in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Bebinca’s landfall coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a public holiday in China. Authorities stressed that officials must “pay close attention to the development of the typhoon,” highlighting concerns over increased travel during the holiday, which could elevate safety risks.

Shanghai’s municipal authorities on Sunday urged residents to take precautions against the storm’s impact on high-altitude work, transportation, infrastructure, and agriculture. Some flights to and from Shanghai’s major airports were canceled or rescheduled, state media reported.

In addition, passenger shipping lines in Shanghai were scheduled to be suspended from Sunday due to the typhoon, according to a statement from the municipal port and shipping development center.

China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is experiencing more frequent and intense extreme weather events, which scientists link to climate change.

Earlier this month, Typhoon Yagi passed through southern Hainan Island, leaving at least four people dead and 95 injured, according to national weather authorities.

Typhoon Bebinca, after passing through Japan’s Amami Island overnight Sunday, packed gusts of up to 198 kilometers (123 miles) per hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported. “The risk of landslides in the Amami region has increased due to the heavy rainfall,” the agency added.