China: Flights cancelled, cities evacuated, Mid-Autumn Festival travel disrupted as Typhoon Bebinca wreaks havoc

Chinese cities prepared for Typhoon Bebinca’s imminent landing, amid cancelling of flights and evacuation of residents, as millions of holidaymakers began travelling across the country for a national festival.

Bebinca, which China refers to as Beibijia, is set to hit the Yangtze River Delta region around dawn on Monday, Sept. 16, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Service. The typhoon is expected to bring significant rainfall and high tides when it lands, according to the weather agency.

Shanghai initiated a top-level emergency response at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, suspending railways, closing ports, bridges and highways. More than 600 flights in and out of Shanghai were canceled on Sunday, according to the local government.

Personnel at Yangshan Deepwater Port, a major port cluster, will be evacuated by 6 p.m. on Sunday, while Shanghai’s Chongming District was relocating 9,318 people to safe places, according to local media reports. Zhoushan warned people to stay indoors as rain and strong winds began lashing the city on Sunday afternoon.

China’s three-day, mid-autumn festival holiday started on Sunday. Disruptions to travel could further dampen consumption in the world’s second-largest economy.

The national railway operator estimates passenger traffic may reach 74 million during the mid-autumn festival, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday. The cross-regional flow of people across the country reached 195 million on Sept. 14, 42% higher than a year earlier, Cailian reported on Sunday, citing the Ministry of Transport.