Shanghai put emergency plans in place for heavy rain

The Shanghai Traffic Commission has announced emergency contingency plans for extreme weather conditions like typhoon and heavy rainfall leading to flooding this summer.

Electric public buses will suspend services or make detours when flood waters rise to over 23 centimeters for more than 100 meters. If the waters reach 35cm, gas or fuel-powered buses will also be suspended or routes adjusted. Three hundred spare buses will be set aside for emergencies.

Roads underneath the overpasses will also be closed when flood waters cross 25cm. Traffic will be restricted when flood water in such areas reach 20cm.

Shanghai's Metro will also limit the speed of the trains during strong typhoons. Trains will run on manual mode instead of the auto mode. The maximum speed will be set at 40 kilometers per hour along elevated tracks and 50km/h along sections on the ground, according to the plan.

During a typhoon of 10th grade, the maximum speed will be restricted to 20km/h.

The city's meteorological department has predicted that the total quantity of rainfall this summer will not be more than previous years, but the chances of short-time heavy rain remain high.

Metro stations will be beefed up with bumpers and sand bags to avoid flood water.

A severe thunderstorm last September knocked out the city's Metro network during evening rush hour.