Typhoon Co-May makes landfall in China: Orange alert issued in Shanghai; over 280,000 evacuated, flights and ferries halted

Typhoon Co-May made landfall on Wednesday, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and fears of coastal surges as Shanghai and several eastern Chinese cities faced disruption. Authorities issued alerts, cancelled hundreds of flights, and urged people to stay indoors as the tropical storm swept across the region, reports news agency Reuters.The storm first struck Zhoushan, a port city in Zhejiang province, with maximum sustained winds reaching 83 km/h near its centre. Forecasters warned that Co-May could make a second landfall closer to Shanghai later in the day.Authorities took no chances, evacuating over 280,000 people to safer locations.“From last night to 10:00 am today, 282,800 people have been evacuated and relocated, basically achieving the goal of evacuating all those who needed to be evacuated,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.The Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory upgraded an earlier yellow rainstorm alert to orange, the second-highest warning level.

Flights cancelled

At least 640 flights were expected to be cancelled across Shanghai’s two main airports — 410 at Pudong and 230 at Hongqiao — while flights were also diverted or cancelled in Ningbo, Wenzhou, Hangzhou, and Zhoushan. Over 75 per cent of Wednesday’s flights at Zhoushan were scrapped by the morning.

All ferry services in Shanghai were suspended, and speed limits were introduced on roads and railways. Drivers were told to maintain speeds below 60 km/h, and several train services in the region were either suspended or running at reduced speeds.

Co-May’s arrival coincided with another natural scare.A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami alerts along parts of China’s coast. The national marine environmental forecasting center said the tsunami could have a “disastrous impact” on areas including Shanghai and Zhoushan, warning of waves up to 1 metre in height. Later in the day, the tsunami warning was lifted, according to CCTV.Images from Ningbo showed waves breaching sea walls and residents walking through ankle-deep water.