2 million on the move as Haikui makes landfall
By Ni Yinbin and Dong Zhen |
August 9, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TYPHOON Haikui struck eastern China yesterday, packing winds of up to 133 kilometers per hour, prompting the evacuation of nearly 2 million people and grounding hundreds of flights.
More than 1.5 million people in Zhejiang Province and more than 374,000 people in outlying parts and construction sites in Shanghai were relocated to safe shelters before Haikui landed in Zhejiang early yesterday.
More than 700 domestic and international flights to and from Shanghai's two airports were canceled, the Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters said last night.
No ships had been allowed in or out of Shanghai's ports, the world's busiest by container volume, since Tuesday night.
Landing at 3:20am yesterday in Xiangshan County of neighboring Zhejiang Province, Haikui, the 11th typhoon this year, brought strong gales and heavy downpours to Shanghai.
At 11.30am, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau upgraded a previous orange typhoon alert to red, the highest of a four-color warning system. It was the first red alert in the city's history.
Last night, the red typhoon alert was still in place, as well as an orange alert warning of heavy rainfall.
Nearly a third of the city suffered torrential rain with precipitation over 100 millimeters. Putuo District's Zhennanbei area suffered the most with 194 millimeters. Nearly 400 roads and 1,000 households were flooded, according to the headquarters.
Nearly 100,000 residents were affected by power cuts due to strong gales affecting electricity lines, according to the Shanghai Electric Power Co Ltd, the city's power supplier. More than 60 percent of affected households had their supplies restored by 5pm.
The city's power hotline, 95598, received more than 46,000 phone calls yesterday, 12 times the usual number.
With gales blowing at up to 133 kilometers per hour yesterday morning, anyone venturing out found it difficult to stay upright
At least 30,000 trees collapsed or were dislodged in the gales, the Shanghai Greenery and Sanitation Bureau said, and more than 3,500 workers were dispatched to deal with the situation.
Today should see another day of howling winds and torrential rain but becoming lighter as Haikui weakened to a strong tropical storm yesterday afternoon and was moving northwest, the city's weather bureau said.
However, heavy downpours should return tomorrow under the influence of Haikui's outer edges and a cold front from the north, forecasters said.
Traveling at around 15 kilometers per hour, the eye of the storm reached the city of Xiaoshan at 4pm, some 160 kilometers from Shanghai, the bureau said. With its slow speed, Haikui's influence should last to the weekend.
"Thursday's wind and rain should be smaller than today's while Friday's rain should be heavier than Thursday's," Zhu Jiehua, a chief service officer with the bureau, said yesterday.
More than 1.5 million people in Zhejiang Province and more than 374,000 people in outlying parts and construction sites in Shanghai were relocated to safe shelters before Haikui landed in Zhejiang early yesterday.
More than 700 domestic and international flights to and from Shanghai's two airports were canceled, the Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters said last night.
No ships had been allowed in or out of Shanghai's ports, the world's busiest by container volume, since Tuesday night.
Landing at 3:20am yesterday in Xiangshan County of neighboring Zhejiang Province, Haikui, the 11th typhoon this year, brought strong gales and heavy downpours to Shanghai.
At 11.30am, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau upgraded a previous orange typhoon alert to red, the highest of a four-color warning system. It was the first red alert in the city's history.
Last night, the red typhoon alert was still in place, as well as an orange alert warning of heavy rainfall.
Nearly a third of the city suffered torrential rain with precipitation over 100 millimeters. Putuo District's Zhennanbei area suffered the most with 194 millimeters. Nearly 400 roads and 1,000 households were flooded, according to the headquarters.
Nearly 100,000 residents were affected by power cuts due to strong gales affecting electricity lines, according to the Shanghai Electric Power Co Ltd, the city's power supplier. More than 60 percent of affected households had their supplies restored by 5pm.
The city's power hotline, 95598, received more than 46,000 phone calls yesterday, 12 times the usual number.
With gales blowing at up to 133 kilometers per hour yesterday morning, anyone venturing out found it difficult to stay upright
At least 30,000 trees collapsed or were dislodged in the gales, the Shanghai Greenery and Sanitation Bureau said, and more than 3,500 workers were dispatched to deal with the situation.
Today should see another day of howling winds and torrential rain but becoming lighter as Haikui weakened to a strong tropical storm yesterday afternoon and was moving northwest, the city's weather bureau said.
However, heavy downpours should return tomorrow under the influence of Haikui's outer edges and a cold front from the north, forecasters said.
Traveling at around 15 kilometers per hour, the eye of the storm reached the city of Xiaoshan at 4pm, some 160 kilometers from Shanghai, the bureau said. With its slow speed, Haikui's influence should last to the weekend.
"Thursday's wind and rain should be smaller than today's while Friday's rain should be heavier than Thursday's," Zhu Jiehua, a chief service officer with the bureau, said yesterday.
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