1.5m evacuate as Shanghai struck by 90mph typhoon

Shanghai has issued a red alert (the highest alarm possible) as a 90mph typhoon..

16:39 08 August 2012

Shanghai has issued a red alert (the highest alarm possible) as a 90mph typhoon struck China causing mass destruction. 

 

Provincial authorities have evacuated 1.5 million citizens in preparation for the ongoing havoc in the wake of typhoon Haikui. 

 

It's the third typhoon to hit China in less than a week. 

 

No casualties have yet been reported, although it is known that at least 120 people are stranded in rural areas that have been hit by extreme flooding. 

 

The China Meteorological Administration said that the heavy rains and strong winds are expected to last for 48 hours.

 

Shanghai has a population of 23 million and this typhoon has all but grounded them to a halt. All outdoor group activities have been banned, city parks have been locked down, outdoor construction postponed and hundreds of thousands of city-dwellers have been evacuated while more than 30,000 ships have been called back to port. 

 

However, trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange continued as normal.

 

The news comes after typhoons Damrey and Saola also struck China within the last week.

 

The latest typhoon is now over land which tends to signal weakened strength. However, trackers have suggested that Haikui could move near or across a large body of water called Hangzhou Bay south of Shanghai which could result in even more power and subsequent damage. 

 

This new storm is seen as the biggest threat to the region since 2005, when back-to-back storms killed at least 15 people.