Latest news with #Zhejiang
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Shanghai evacuates 283,000 people as typhoon hits
Shanghai has evacuated almost 283,000 people from vulnerable coastal and low-lying areas as Typhoon Co-May made landfall in the Chinese financial hub on Wednesday evening, bringing lashing rains and winds. Almost a third of flights from Shanghai's two international airports have been cancelled, the city's news service said, totalling around 640. The Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory upgraded an earlier yellow rainstorm alert to orange on Wednesday afternoon, the second-highest warning level. Typhoon Co-May first made landfall in eastern Zhejiang province around 4:30 am Wednesday (2030 GMT Tuesday), with winds near its centre of 83 kilometres (52 miles) per hour. "From last night to 10:00 am today, 282,800 people have been evacuated and relocated, basically achieving the goal of evacuating all those who needed to be evacuated," state broadcaster CCTV reported. More than 1,900 temporary shelters have been set up across the city, authorities said. In a village on the outskirts of Shanghai on Wednesday evening, one such shelter -- a large hall filled with dozens of iron beds -- was mostly occupied by elderly people, AFP reporters saw. Around 20 people sat on beds or gathered around tables to eat dinner, along with local community staff. Sheets of rain inundated the city without pause on Wednesday, with pedestrians bracing their umbrellas against gusts and delivery drivers splashing through huge puddles as they made their way through sodden streets. Ferry services have been cancelled, additional speed limits are in place on highways, and there has been some disruption to metro and train services. However, Shanghai's Legoland and Disneyland remained open on Wednesday morning. - Wave warning - As the typhoon tracked northwest after making landfall in the morning, live shots from China's eastern coast showed waves overrunning seaside walkways, while broadcasts from the city of Ningbo showed residents sploshing through ankle-deep water. Separately, China issued a tsunami warning for parts of the eastern seaboard after a magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. However, the warning was later lifted, according to CCTV. Co-May was downgraded to a tropical storm before leaving the Philippines, and then strengthened again over the South China Sea. Its passage has had an indirect link to extreme weather in northern China, Chen Tao, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, told the state-run China Daily. Heavy rain there has killed more than 30 people and forced authorities to evacuate tens of thousands, state media reported Tuesday. "Typhoon activity can influence atmospheric circulation... thereby altering the northward transport of moisture," Chen said. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. bur-reb/dhw
France 24
an hour ago
- Climate
- France 24
Shanghai evacuates 283,000 people as typhoon hits
Almost a third of flights from Shanghai's two international airports have been cancelled, the city's news service said, totalling around 640. The Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory upgraded an earlier yellow rainstorm alert to orange on Wednesday afternoon, the second-highest warning level. Typhoon Co-May first made landfall in eastern Zhejiang province around 4:30 am Wednesday (2030 GMT Tuesday), with winds near its centre of 83 kilometres (52 miles) per hour. "From last night to 10:00 am today, 282,800 people have been evacuated and relocated, basically achieving the goal of evacuating all those who needed to be evacuated," state broadcaster CCTV reported. More than 1,900 temporary shelters have been set up across the city, authorities said. In a village on the outskirts of Shanghai on Wednesday evening, one such shelter -- a large hall filled with dozens of iron beds -- was mostly occupied by elderly people, AFP reporters saw. Around 20 people sat on beds or gathered around tables to eat dinner, along with local community staff. Sheets of rain inundated the city without pause on Wednesday, with pedestrians bracing their umbrellas against gusts and delivery drivers splashing through huge puddles as they made their way through sodden streets. Ferry services have been cancelled, additional speed limits are in place on highways, and there has been some disruption to metro and train services. However, Shanghai's Legoland and Disneyland remained open on Wednesday morning. Wave warning As the typhoon tracked northwest after making landfall in the morning, live shots from China's eastern coast showed waves overrunning seaside walkways, while broadcasts from the city of Ningbo showed residents sploshing through ankle-deep water. Separately, China issued a tsunami warning for parts of the eastern seaboard after a magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. However, the warning was later lifted, according to CCTV. Co-May was downgraded to a tropical storm before leaving the Philippines, and then strengthened again over the South China Sea. Its passage has had an indirect link to extreme weather in northern China, Chen Tao, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, told the state-run China Daily. Heavy rain there has killed more than 30 people and forced authorities to evacuate tens of thousands, state media reported Tuesday. "Typhoon activity can influence atmospheric circulation... thereby altering the northward transport of moisture," Chen said. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Russia earthquake: China and Taiwan issue tsunami warnings after almost a million evacuated in Japan
China's eastern coast braced for rising waves on Wednesday after authorities issued a tsunami warning in the wake of a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia 's Kamchatka Peninsula earlier in the day. The quake, one of the strongest ever recorded, hit at a depth of 20.7km and was centred about 119km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, seismological agencies confirmed. China's Tsunami Warning Centre said waves between 30cm and one metre were expected to reach parts of the country's eastern coastline by evening, including densely populated regions such as Shanghai. The natural resources ministry raised a "yellow tsunami alert", signalling moderate risk, and cautioned people in affected areas to avoid beaches, harbours, and low-lying coastal districts through the evening. The alert for Shanghai and Zhejiang was lifted in the afternoon, however. Emergency services were deployed in anticipation of potential flooding and to assist with possible evacuations. Local authorities issued instructions urging people to move to higher ground while maritime operations in some ports were temporarily suspended. No casualties or significant property damage had been reported in China as of late Wednesday morning. The tsunami threat came the same day as Typhoon Co-May made landfall in Zhejiang province at around 4:30am local time, delivering strong winds of up to 83kmph and torrential rain. Authorities had already relocated more than 280,000 people in Shanghai and surrounding regions. Hundreds of flights and ferry operations had been cancelled and speed limits imposed across roads and railways. Ports and public attractions were temporarily shut as Shanghai braced for additional impacts, with forecasters warning of another possible landfall closer to the financial hub later in the day. The storm brought heavy rainfall and localised flooding to the port city of Zhoushan, prompting emergency management officials to raise the response status to 'Level III' as some urban districts and coastal villages saw waterlogging and power outages. The earthquake also triggered tsunami warnings and precautionary measures in Taiwan as well as the Philippines, Indonesia, and other Pacific Rim nations and territories from Russia to the US and Peru. Japan 's Meteorological Agency said that tsunami waves of up to 3m could reach large coastal areas in the northern Pacific, though initial assessments suggested only small surges outside the epicentral region. Japan evacuated more than a million residents across 133 municipalities along its Pacific coast as the meteorological agency issued advisories. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, said all workers had been evacuated, adding that there were no abnormalities reported so far. The power plant suffered a nuclear meltdown in 2011 following an earthquake and tsunami disaster. In the US, tsunami warnings and watches were activated for the Hawaiian archipelago, vast stretches of Alaska's coastline, and the Pacific coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington states. Authorities in Hawaii and Alaska advised residents to take urgent action to protect life and property.
Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Shanghai scrambles as storm hits: Flights grounded, 280,000 evacuated, tsunami warnings lifted
SHANGHAI, July 30 — Shanghai relocated more than 280,000 people, halted hundreds of flights and ferry services and imposed speed limits on roads and railways on Wednesday as a tropical storm whipped eastern China with gales and heavy rain. Co-May's landfall in the port city of Zhoushan in Zhejiang province in the early hours of Wednesday was soon followed by warnings of a tsunami set off by a powerful earthquake off Russia's far east, raising concerns of larger-than-expected storm surges along the Chinese coast. Authorities lifted the tsunami warnings for Shanghai and Zhoushan later in the day. While the winds from Co-May were weaker than those generated by typhoons, the Chinese financial hub and other cities in the Yangtze River delta have taken no chances. At least 640 flights could be cancelled at Shanghai's two main airports on Wednesday, including 410 at Pudong and 230 at Hongqiao, authorities said. All ferry services in Shanghai had been cancelled since Wednesday morning, and drivers were told to drive under 60 kph on highways, local media reported. Rainfall of up to 100 mm — about a month's worth — is expected within a six-hour period in the city, said municipal authorities, warning about potential waterlogging around the city centre. While some parks and the zoo have closed, Shanghai's Disneyland and Legoland remained open. But some rides and performances would be suspended at Legoland due to weather conditions, the park said. Airports at nearby cities Ningbo, Wenzhou and Hangzhou also saw flight cancellations and diversions. As of Wednesday morning, more than 75 per cent of Wednesday's flights at Zhoushan had been cancelled. Some train services in the region were temporarily suspended with others operated under restricted speeds, state media said. Shanghai is rarely subject to direct hits from strong typhoons that generally make landfall further south in China. The most significant typhoon in recent years that landed directly in Shanghai was Bebinca last year, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China's financial capital since 1949. Co-May made landfall in Zhoushan in the early hours of Wednesday with maximum sustained wind speeds near its centre of 23 metres per second (83 kph). Forecasters expect Co-May to make another landfall closer to Shanghai later on Wednesday. The storm coincided with a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, about 4,000 km from Shanghai. Before noon on Wednesday, China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said the tsunami was expected to have 'disastrous impacts' on some parts of China's coast, including Shanghai and Zhoushan. However, Shanghai's municipal earthquake agency later issued a statement discounting potentially 'disastrous impacts'. Although nearby coastal regions could see water levels rise by up to 180 cm in the evening, tidal waves around the city will not exceed warning levels, Shanghai's marine forecasting centre said, according to state media reports. — Reuters
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Shanghai evacuates 283,000 people as typhoon nears: state media
Satellite image of Typhoon Co-May nearing Shanghai. Photo: Screengrab Shanghai has evacuated almost 283,000 people as Typhoon Co-May approaches the city on Wednesday, bringing lashing rains and high winds, state media reported. The Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory on Wednesday afternoon upgraded an earlier yellow rainstorm alert to orange, the second highest warning level. Typhoon Co-May made landfall in eastern Zhejiang Province at about 4:30am Wednesday, and is expected to make a second landfall in financial hub Shanghai in the evening. "From last night to 10:00 am today, 282,800 people have been evacuated and relocated, basically achieving the goal of evacuating all those who needed to be evacuated," state broadcaster CCTV reported. Live shots from China's coast showed waves overrunning seaside walkways, while broadcasts from the city of Ningbo showed residents splashing through ankle-deep water. Separately, China issued a tsunami warning for parts of the eastern seaboard after a magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula . However, the warning was later lifted, according to CCTV. - AFP
