TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since at least 1949 flooded roads with water and broken tree branches, knocked out power to some homes and injured at least one person as it swept over the financial hub Monday. More than 414,000 people had been evacuated ahead of the powerful winds and torrential rain. Schools were closed and people were advised to stay indoors.
One elderly man was injured by a falling tree on Shanghai’s Chongming Island, according to state media. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. Typhoon Bebinca made landfall around 7:30 a.
m. in the sprawling Pudong business district with winds of 151 kph (94 mph) near its center. Torrential rains flooded roads in the district, according to images broadcast by state media.
Elsewhere in Shanghai, uprooted trees and fallen branches blanketed some roads and sidewalks. As the typhoon eased, responders cleared branches and other objects blown around by the storm. More than 60,000 emergency responders and firefighters were at hand to lend aid in Shanghai.
Authorities said winds uprooted or damaged more than 10,000 trees and knocked out power for at least 380 households, damaging four houses. At least 53 hectares (132 acres) of farmland were flooded. The typhoon weakened as it moved inland, dousing parts of Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces.
Flights, ferries and train services have been suspended in the megacity and in neighboring provinces, disrupting travel during China’s three-day Mid.