Singaporeans hunker down in Shanghai as Typhoon Bebinca sweeps through megacity
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Fallen branches lying on a street in Xuhui district, Shanghai, on Sept 16.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JINGYI PAN
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SINGAPORE - They saw fallen trees, experienced power outages and had to cancel plans, but Singaporeans in Shanghai managed to keep themselves safe by staying indoors as Typhoon Bebinca raged outside.
They had been informed of the coming storm via formal and informal channels, such as government apps and chat groups of Singaporeans living in China, with some saying it was the worst typhoon they had encountered while living there.
The typhoon made landfall in Shanghai’s eastern coastal area in the early hours of Sept 16, with wind speeds of around 150kmh. This was reportedly the strongest storm to hit Shanghai
The city’s municipal news service said the typhoon had caused “significant damage across the city”
Ms Jingyi Pan, a 39-year-old Singaporean architect, had initially planned a two-day camping trip during the public holidays but was forced to remain indoors, as trees thrashed back and forth outside her home during the storm, with branches occasionally hitting her windows.
“On WeChat groups, people were sharing photos of fallen trees and closed roads. The road outside our apartment was cordoned off because of a huge fallen tree branch,” said Ms Pan, who lives in Shanghai with her husband and two children, aged nine and 11.
Another Singaporean, Mr Chuang Sain Keat, had planned to do some street photography but cancelled his plans after he received warnings about the impending storm.
To compound matters, the 54-year-old designer had to contend with cuts in the electricity and water supplies to his home in Baoshan district, where he hunkered down to work on a design project instead. The outages, which started at about noon, lasted for about three hours.
“This is not the first typhoon I’ve experienced, but the last one did not affect the utilities,” said Mr Chuang, who has been in Shanghai since 2007. “But this is not exactly a disaster with fallen buildings or broken bridges. Just feels like a heavier storm than usual.”
Ms Tan Wee Hoon, who has lived in the city’s Jing’an district for six years, remembers feeling confused when she looked out of her window during the typhoon.
The 51-year-old initially thought she saw birds flying outside the window of her 22nd-storey apartment. “Then I looked closer and realised they were leaves and other debris blown up by the wind,” she said.
Heavy wind and rain amid Typhoon Bebinca at Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, on Sept 16.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Before the typhoon hit, the Shanghai authorities had advised residents to avoid going out unnecessarily, keep doors and windows closed tight, and avoid ordering food delivery to be considerate to delivery workers, said Ms Tan.
Mr Terrence Tham, a 42-year old country manager, said he had prepared buckets of water and torches in case the utilities were cut, while business owner Chong Yan Ting said she had stocked up five days’ worth of food.
The typhoon also affected some Singapore travel agencies with tour groups in Shanghai or heading there soon.
Ms Diana Tan, CTC Travel’s head of human resources and public relations, told ST that it had to arrange for an additional night’s stay in Shanghai for about 50 travellers on Sept 16, as their return flight had been postponed to a day later.
Several flights from Singapore to Shanghai or Hangzhou scheduled for Sept 15 and 16 were either rescheduled or cancelled due to the storm
Ms Diana Tan said several tour groups scheduled to visit Shanghai in the next few days have also had their flights rebooked, and the agency is monitoring the situation and will adjust the itineraries, if needed.
L.G.E Travel’s public relations manager Caden Neo said it has about 80 people bound for Shanghai in the coming days on its corporate and private tours. But it may redirect these travellers to destinations like Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam or Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, if needed.
Chan Brothers Travel said its tour groups in Shanghai, as well as upcoming ones, were not affected by the typhoon.
