Typhoon Knocks Out Power to Some Homes in Shanghai as It Weakens Inland

A public employee works on a flooded street as heavy wind and rain from Typhoon Bebinca hit Shanghai, China, 16 September 2024. (EPA)
A public employee works on a flooded street as heavy wind and rain from Typhoon Bebinca hit Shanghai, China, 16 September 2024. (EPA)
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Typhoon Knocks Out Power to Some Homes in Shanghai as It Weakens Inland

A public employee works on a flooded street as heavy wind and rain from Typhoon Bebinca hit Shanghai, China, 16 September 2024. (EPA)
A public employee works on a flooded street as heavy wind and rain from Typhoon Bebinca hit Shanghai, China, 16 September 2024. (EPA)

The strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since at least 1949 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 by Monday ahead of the powerful winds and torrential rain. Schools were closed and people were advised to stay indoors. More than 60,000 emergency responders and firefighters were at hand to lend aid in Shanghai, according to state media.

Flights, ferries and train services were suspended in Shanghai and in neighboring provinces, disrupting travel during China’s three-day Mid-Autumn Festival. Shanghai’s airports canceled more than 1,400 flights starting Sunday and through Monday, while in Hangzhou, about 170 kilometers (106 miles) southwest of Shanghai, authorities also canceled more than 180 flights.

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. It weakened as it moved inland, dousing parts of Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces.

The winds uprooted or damaged more than 10,000 trees, knocked out power for at least 380 households, damaged four houses and injured at least one person, according to state media reports. It was unclear how or where the person was injured.

At least 53 hectares (132 acres) of farmland were flooded.

Weather authorities expected Shanghai and parts of neighboring provinces to receive up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rainfall between Monday and Wednesday.

Shanghai, which has 25 million people, is rarely hit by strong typhoons, which usually make landfall further south in China.

Typhoon Yagi hit China’s southern Hainan island earlier this month and has caused devastation in Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, Yagi caused at least 74 deaths with dozens missing. Four deaths were reported in Hainan, at least 10 have died in Thailand and 20 in the Philippines.

Vietnam has reported more than 230 people killed in the typhoon and subsequent flooding and landslides, with dozens more still missing.



Coffee Lovers Find Grounds for Complaint at Australian Open

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
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Coffee Lovers Find Grounds for Complaint at Australian Open

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)

Melbourne prides itself on serving up the world's best coffee, but finding a hot brew at the Australian Open has proved a challenge for some of the tens of thousands of fans attending this year's Grand Slam tennis tournament.

Organizers have worked hard over the last decade to improve options for refreshment and an array of outlets at the Melbourne Park precinct.

Yet long queues face fans looking to indulge their passion for the city's favorite beverage at the 15 coffee stores Tennis Australia says dot the 40-hectare (99-acre) site.

"We need more coffee places open," said Katherine Wright, who has been coming to the tournament for the five years as she lined up for a hot drink near the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.

"We are big coffee drinkers, especially Melburnians."

The Australian Open attracts more than 90,000 fans a day early on in the tournament, when ground passes are relatively cheap, offering the chance to watch main draw action on the outer courts.

Liz, another Melburnian, said she stood in line for half an hour for a cup of coffee on Sunday, when rain halted play for six hours on the outer courts.

"This is a well-established global event," she added. "You actually need to be providing better service to the consumer."

Melbourne imports about 30 tons of coffee beans a day, the Australian Science Education Research Association says, representing a surge of nearly eightfold over the past decade that is sufficient to brew 3 million cups of coffee.

For Malgorzata Halaba, a fan who came from Poland on Sunday for her second Australian Open, finding one of those 3 million cups was a must.

"It seems it took me a day and a half, and several kilometers of walking around the grounds, to find coffee," she said. "And jet-lagged as I am, coffee is a lifesaver."