Typhoon Haima moves away from HK as storm signal is lowered
After a day of downpours and gales, Typhoon Haima moved away from the SAR as the Hong Kong Observatory lifted the No 8 Storm Signal on Friday evening.
It ended a week of rain and strong winds in the city brought by two consecutive typhoons — Sarika and Haima.
Ferries, buses and trains resumed their services right after the signal was lowered. At least 738 flights were canceled or delayed as of 5 pm on Friday, according to the Airport Authority of Hong Kong. The authority said they will schedule departures and arrivals from midnight with a full-capacity operation of both runways.
The government received at least 197 reports of fallen trees in the city, mainly on Hong Kong Island, and 13 people were injured during the typhoon as of 5 pm.
The Observatory raised a No 8 signal early on Friday morning, one of its highest warnings which rate typhoons up to 10, as Haima approached. It was closest to Hong Kong around noon before making landfall in the nearby city Shanwei, Guangdong province.
It was the first time since 1995 that a typhoon signal was hoisted in October in Hong Kong. The region’s typhoon season runs mainly in summer.
The Education Bureau sus- pended classes at all kindergartens and schools. The stocks and futures market and gold market were suspended. Hong Kong Ocean Park and Disneyland were also closed due to bad weather.
About 220 people sought refuge at temporary shelters opened by the Home Affairs Department.
At a Wellcome supermarket store in Hung Hom, Kowloon, a cashier surnamed Chan, who worked the day shift since 6 am, said she had been extremely busy.
Shelves for vegetables and meats were almost empty while there was no obvious price hikes. Chan said the checkout lines never seemed to end and she was exhausted.
Prices of vegetables in wet markets went up by around 10 percent, according to vegetable stall owner Ah Cheung. He said this was due to bad weather conditions in Hong Kong and neighboring Guangdong province, from where nearly all the produce he sells is imported.
Based on previous experience, he predicted prices will go up a further 20 percent in the coming months as many vegetables will be damaged during the typhoon.
Near Olympian, Kowloon, taxi drivers asked for extra charges ranging from HK$100 to 200, on Friday afternoon before the typhoon was downgraded to a No 3 Strong Wind Signal.
Also in Olympian, jogger Carrie Chan braved the winds near the sea. Despite a government warning to the pub- lic to stay away from shorelines for personal safety, Chan said she felt safe and enjoyed the feeling of running in the rain.
In inner city neighborhoods where the wind was not too strong, people were seen on the streets buying food during the No 8 signal, although McDonald’s was the only choice in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon.
Answer Ngan, who works at the customer service center of an e-commerce company, braved the elements to go to work on Friday. Instead of catching a minibus to the office as he usually does, Ngan took the MTR in the morning to avoid long waiting times. But he said he still got soaked during the commute.
On Thursday, Haima had caused widespread damage, including landslides, flooding and power outages in northern Philippines, leaving eight dead before heading to Hong Kong.
This was the second time the Observatory issued a No 8 Storm Signal this year. The previous one was Typhoon Nida hoisted on Aug 1.