Shanghai braces as Typhoon Champi approaches

As Typhoon Champi approaches, Shanghai is taking actions to safeguard the city and prepare for emergency response.

The typhoon is expected to approach the waters northeast of Taiwan on Friday night, move into the southern part of the East China Sea on Saturday and pass through the waters east of Shanghai on Sunday evening at a distance of 300 to 350 kilometers from the city's coastline, according to Shanghai's meteorological authorities.

The authorities said that Shanghai would experience wind and rain from Friday afternoon through Sunday due to the typhoon, with the peak impact period occurring from Friday evening through late Saturday afternoon.

Coinciding with astronomical high tides, a risk of tide levels slightly exceeding the warning threshold is likely to emerge along the northern shore of Hangzhou Bay. Currently, blue typhoon warnings have been issued for the city's Pudong, Fengxian, Chongming, Jinshan, Baoshan and Qingpu districts.

Shanghai's flood control office said that water intake gates across the city had been closed since Tuesday night, with drainage gates opened wider to increase discharges to maximize the storage and regulation capacity of rivers, lakes, and the pipeline network in the city.

Mobile pump trucks have also been deployed to high-risk flooding areas such as Pudong, Lingang and Fengxian districts to ensure cross-regional mobile support. Supplies to prevent water ingress, including sandbags and barriers, have been fully stocked to make every effort to prevent water from entering residents' homes and mitigate the risk of urban flooding.

Moreover, evacuation and relocation measures have been implemented in the districts of Pudong, Baoshan, Jinshan, Fengxian, Qingpu and Chongming, as well as in Lingang and Yangshan port areas. Evacuation and relocation of at-risk residents is expected to be completed by 6 pm on Friday. A total of 540 flood-relief shelters and 7,992 temporary evacuation stations across the city are in place and ready to receive and accommodate evacuees.

Fishing vessels at sea have all returned to port to seek shelter from the typhoon, and the city's maritime authorities are implementing tiered vessel control measures.

Also, measures have been taken to reinforce construction cranes, store signs and street trees, and all outdoor work at heights has been suspended. Multiple emergency response teams have been placed on standby. Emergency response equipment, along with communications and power support units, has been placed in key areas along the river and coast, standing ready to address any potential emergencies or disasters.