Shanghai relocates hundreds of thousands due to tropical storm

SHANGHAI: Shanghai relocated more than 280,000 people, halted hundreds of flights and ferry services and imposed speed limits on roads and railways on Wednesday (Jul 30) as a tropical storm whipped eastern China with gales and heavy rain.

Landfall by Co-May in the port city of Zhoushan in Zhejiang province early on 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 60kmh on highways, local media reported.

Co-May made landfall in Shanghai at 4.40pm, with wind speeds similar to when the storm landed in Zhoushan earlier, at 23 metres per second (83kmh).

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.