Red alert: Shanghai cancels 80% of flights as Typhoon Dolphin makes landfall
The storm strikes coastal Zhejiang province on Sunday evening, packing heavy winds and disrupting travel across eastern China
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall at Yuhuan, a city in Zhejiang province, around 5.30pm on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 151km/h (94mph) near its centre, according to China’s National Meteorological Centre.
Wang Hao, Communist Party secretary of Zhejiang province, stressed on Sunday morning that public safety was the top priority.
He urged strict precautions against mountain torrents, mudslides and other disasters that could be triggered by heavy rainfall, demanding the complete evacuation of anyone in harm’s way.
Wang also stressed that non-essential activities must be suspended. He called for strengthening emergency drainage and rescue operations to minimise the risk of urban waterlogging.
In the coming days, rain and wind will intensify across eastern China. Both Zhejiang and Shanghai are located within the typhoon’s “dangerous semicircle”, where wind and rain are expected to be at their strongest, according to Weather China on Sunday.