Another typhoon heading for Shanghai

Shanghai may be slammed by another typhoon on Friday after being hit by Typhoon Ampil last week, and authorities raised the typhoon alert one level higher on Thursday.

By 10 am Thursday, Typhoon Jongdari was over the East China Sea, about 440 kilometers southeast of Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. The weather system is heading toward the Yangtze River Delta region at 18 kilometers per hour, with its intensity expected to remain stable or possibly accelerate.

Jongdari is likely make landfall on the financial hub’s coastal areas on Friday morning with winds of up to 83 km/h, bringing with it heavy rainfall. Its intensity is similar to Typhoon Ampil, which battered the region on July 22.

The Shanghai municipal government issued an emergency notice on Thursday, urging all government agencies to pay close attention to the coming storm.

Officials were asked to relocate and resettle residents from seaside areas, temporary residences, construction sites and makeshift shelters, as well as scrutinize offshore facilities including Yangshan Port to ensure that public facilities remain safe. Officials were also urged to stay on duty during the storm to ensure that emergency response systems function properly.

At noon on Thursday, the local meteorological department raised the typhoon alert level from blue to yellow, the third highest level of China’s four-tier warning system.

According to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the typhoon will also likely affect Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Henan provinces, and the headquarters dispatched three teams to facilitate disaster relief work.

“It’s highly possible that Jongdari will land in Shanghai on Friday morning,” said the headquarters. “If it lands in Shanghai, it will be the second one landing in the municipality within 10 days, which is rare to see.”

It also said the typhoon will make the flood control situation even more difficult in the already flooded Huaihe River, which flows through Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu.

“Now is the peak tourism season in coastal areas. Special attention needs to be paid to those tourists coming to escape the heat who gather around bodies of water in order to prevent accidents,” it added.

In Zhoushan, Zhejiang, almost 3,000 fishing boats have been advised to anchor in ports and ride out the storm.

Zhejiang flood control authorities have asked staff and those from weather monitoring stations to stay on around the clock to monitor the typhoon.

WANG DAFU / FOR CHINA DAILY Fishing boats seek safe haven at Shitang Port on Wednesday in Wenling, Zhejiang province, after local authorities initiated an emergency response to this year’s 12th typhoon, Jongdari, which is headed for the area. Boats cannot leave port until the emergency response is completed.