Lingang braces for Typhoon Ampil
Rough sea smashes the levees at Nanhuizui Park in Lingang New Town at 9am on July 22.
Shanghai's Lingang New Town in Pudong area was in the grip of violent gusty wind and downpour around 8am on Sunday amid Typhoon Ampil as Shanghai Daily reporter arrived there, hardly able to see the road ahead from inside his car.
As the reporter stood in Lingang's coastal Nanhuizui Park around 9am, he can barely keep eyes open amid rains smashing on face. He had to to brace himself up to stand up facing the gust. The raincoat was blown up by the high wind up to his face by the gale which was measured to exceed force 9.
Police and frontier guards last night blocked the road leading to the seawalls while people trying to go toward the seawall or shore were asked to stay away.
"We placed the road blocks last night at five junctions to the seawall," said Officer Shen Jun with Lingang police station. "All tourists were evacuated from the scene."
More than 6,600 people were evacuated from construction sites in Lingang. They were put up in five temporary shelters in nearby schools. The workers only had time to pack up their mattings and pillows when evacuated.
The stadium of Lingang No.1 Middle School took 465 construction workers. The school played movie and provided poker to the workers to help kill time.
Zhao Shufu, a worker from nearby construction site said Ampil gave him some time to take a rest. "I slept all the time since 7pm yesterday," said Zhao. "The school has provided us hot meals and water."
At the east campus of Shanghai Middle School, seven-year-old Hu Qihao waited anxiously in line to recharge his smartphone. He was in the middle of a game when battery died.
“I came to Yangshan Port two weeks ago from Chongqing to spend summer vocation with my dad,” said Hu. “But now I just want to go home.”
His father Hu Zhongmin told Shanghai Daily that his son was among the last to leave Yangshan Saturday night.
“It will be an unforgettable memory for my kid,” Hu laughed. “Though I’m not sure if he liked it or not.”
Wang Yi, a school staffer, said the school has prepared hot water for the workers. “We will take good care of them until the typhoon alert is lifted.”
On West Huanhu’er Road near Dishui Lake in Lingang, sanitation worker Chen Linjuan started working from 7am to clear branches and leaves to prevent street drain holes from being blocked.
“The street will flood with such downpour if I don’t remove them,” said Chen who used her bare hands to remove the leaves. Her fingers got cut during the process but she said it was not a big deal. Then she walked to another drain hole.
Many trees on Xiatang highway in Lingang were uprooted by the wind, bringing local traffic police out to the scene in full force.
“The trunk lied across the road was so thick that we have to use electronic cutter to cut them apiece before we can remove them,” said Officer Li Jun with the traffic police.
The rain and wind abated around 12pm, sun came out from the cloud. Half an hour later, Ampil made a landfall at Chenjia Town of Shanghai's Chongming Island.
The high wind made it difficult just to open eyes and stand firm at the levees of Nanhuizui Park in Lingang New Town.
Traffic police and workers are removing a trunk blown by wind on Xiatang highway at 8am on July 22.
Evacuated workers watch a movie in the stadium of Lingang No. 1 Middle School on July 22. They will stay until the typhoon alert is lifted.
