More than 60,000 people had been urgently evacuated from the construction sites in the Lingang New Area, a part of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, by Thursday night as Typhoon Pulasan brought record-breaking rainfalls to parts of the financial hub.
After receiving the evacuation notice, workers left their sites under the instruction from the authorities. And necessary supplies were also prepared .
"All the management personnel conducted a headcount on site to ensure that all workers were evacuated to the evacuation point. At the same time, bottled water and instant noodles were all prepared for the evacuated workers," said Chu Anqin, general manager of New Area Construction Company, Shanghai Lingang Special Area Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd. Five centralized resettlement locations including Lingang Center, a flagship project of Lingang New Area construction, have been mobilized to shelter those affected by the typhoon, with hot water, air conditioning and a range of essential services prepared for the evacuees. "We have designated a 6,000-square-meter area on the first floor of the west side of Lingang Center to accommodate around 2,000 workers from six projects in the Lingang New Area. In addition, we are deploying extra personnel to transport drinking water, instant noodles, and other food items to meet the daily needs of those relocated. We are also sending in trash bins and temporary toilets to maintain a clean and hygienic environment. The efforts aim to ensure all the relocated individuals can get through tonight smoothly," said Fan Jianhua, deputy director of the Party working office of Shanghai Lingang Special Area Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd.
Torrential rains continued to batter Shanghai on Friday morning. At 7:49, the Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory upgraded the yellow rainstorm alert to orange.
Waterlogging and traffic congestion were reported in several road sections in Shanghai, prompting several districts to impose temporary traffic restrictions.
Pulasan, the 14th typhoon of the year, made its second landfall in Fengxian of Shanghai at about 9:45 p.m. on Thursday after its first landfall earlier the same day in Zhejiang Province.
Days earlier, Bebinca, the 13th typhoon of this year, churned ashore at Shanghai on Monday.
Over 60,000 construction workers evacuated as typhoon hits Shanghai
A severe hunger crisis continues to afflict the massive displaced population in the war-torn Gaza Strip, as the year-long Israel-Hamas conflict persists and humanitarian access remains largely restricted.
On the World Food Day, which falls annually on Oct 16, Palestinians in the Strip, who have endured a brutal year of conflict, still face a desperate lack of food and are forced to cope with hunger every day.
The Israeli military launched another large-scale assault on northern Gaza on Oct 6, ordering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate. Meanwhile, a strict siege and blockade were imposed on the area. According to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the main crossing into northern Gaza has been nearly closed, with no food aid allowed in since Oct 1.
At present, many WFP-supported local bakeries are forced to close due to food shortages. The WFP warns that remaining supplies in northern Gaza are extremely limited and uncertain in duration, especially for local residents who fled sudden attacks by the Israeli military, carrying very little food with them.
"The entire world is calling for an end to hunger, but we're dealing with famine and being hungry every single day, and things are getting worse. We hope things will get better, but we always find ourselves back in famine. More than 10 days ago, the Israeli army took over northern Gaza again, making the famine even worse. We had to leave Beit Hanoun (a city on the northeast edge of the Gaza Strip) and walk to Gaza City with our children, women, and seniors to find shelter," said Walid, a displaced Palestinian in northern Gaza.
Fahd, another displaced man, expressed his anger and helplessness, saying he has survived on canned food for months without any fresh vegetables or meat. With food aid access closed and famine looming, the situation in Gaza is worsening.
"I am suffering from hunger right now. It has been eight months since I last ate a tomato or any other vegetables. I have forgotten their taste. Without vegetables and fruits, I can't even remember if bananas are yellow or red anymore. We only have canned food, and haven't seen any vegetables and meat," said Fahd.
Now, malnutrition is rising sharply among young children and breastfeeding mothers in Gaza, with infants being the most vulnerable victims of the ongoing food crisis.
"Last week, I completed a survey on 600 children and their mothers. Sadly, I found out that 20 percent of the children are mildly malnourished, 10 percent are severely malnourished, and 16 percent are moderately malnourished. It's not just about numbers. We're talking about a childhood disaster here. We're discussing children who can't find food daily, who go to bed hungry and in tears," said Saeed Saleh, medical director of Patient's Friends Hospital in Gaza City.
Alongside the high risk of famine, the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has reached 42,344 since the outbreak of the latest round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7, 2023, according to a statement from health authorities in the region on Tuesday.
Hunger crisis haunts Gaza's displaced
Hunger crisis haunts Gaza's displaced
