TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since at least 1949 battered the financial center on Monday, flooding roads, snapping tree branches, knocking out power to some homes and injuring at least one person.
More than 414,000 people were evacuated in preparation for strong winds and heavy rain, schools were closed and people were advised to stay indoors.
State media said one elderly man was injured by a falling tree on Shanghai’s Chongming Island and was taken to hospital for treatment.
Typhoon Bebinca, with winds of 151 kph (94 mph) near its center, made landfall in Pudong’s sprawling business district at about 7:30 a.m.
Heavy rains flooded roads in the area, state media showed. Uprooted trees and fallen branches covered roads and sidewalks in other parts of Shanghai. As the storm subsided, rescue workers removed branches and other debris blown over by the storm.
More than 60,000 emergency responders and firefighters were deployed in Shanghai to help with rescue efforts.
Officials said strong winds uprooted or damaged more than 10,000 trees, knocked out power to at least 380 households and damaged four homes.
At least 53 hectares (132 acres) of farmland was flooded.
The typhoon weakened as it moved inland, flooding parts of Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces.
Air, ferry and train services were suspended in Shanghai and nearby provinces, disrupting travel during China’s three-day Mid-Autumn Festival. Shanghai’s airport canceled hundreds of flights from Sunday to Monday, while authorities in Hangzhou, about 170 kilometers (106 miles) southwest of Shanghai, canceled more than 180 flights.
Flights at Shanghai’s airport resumed on Monday afternoon as the storm passed.
Meteorological authorities expected up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) of rainfall in parts of Shanghai and nearby provinces from Monday to Wednesday.
Shanghai, a city of 25 million people, is rarely hit directly by typhoons, which usually make landfall further south in China.
Typhoon Yagi hits China Southern Hainan Island It broke out earlier this month and caused devastation across Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, Yagi At least 74 people were killed and dozens were missing. Four were killed in Hainan province, at least 10 in Thailand, Philippines.
Vietnam reported The storm and subsequent floods and landslides have killed more than 230 people, with dozens more still missing.
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Associated Press researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.
