Tens of millions of people in Shanghai and across China’s densely populated east coast remained indoors on Monday as the strongest storm since 1949 swept through the region, toppling trees and disrupting transport across the region.
Typhoon Bebinca landed early Monday morning on the eastern coastal area of the city, with wind speeds of up to 151 kilometers per hour, state media reported.
It is the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since Typhoon Gloria in 1949, state broadcaster CCTV reported shortly after Bebinca made landfall.
Many businesses have already closed for the national Festival holiday, and the city’s 25 million residents have been advised to avoid leaving their homes.
Shanghai’s flood control headquarters told CCTV they had already received dozens of reports of typhoon-related incidents – mostly downed trees and billboards.
The removed tree completely blocked a road in the city center, an AFP reporter saw.
Photo: Platform X