Second storm hits Hong Kong, Macau
HONG KONG: A powerful storm lashed Hong Kong and Macau yesterday, after a punishing typhoon swept through southern China and claimed at least 18 lives a few days ago.
Both cities raised a Typhoon 8 signal — the third-highest warning level — as severe tropical storm Pakhar made landfall in the region, where emergency workers were still battling to repair Wednesday’s damage.
Around 300 flights were cancelled or delayed, a spokesperson from Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said. Cathay Pacific, the city’s flagship carrier, said “cancellations and significant delays” were expected to continue today.
All ferry services in Hong Kong were suspended. Dozens of trees weakened by Wednesday’s typhoon were brought down in the latest storm.
Pakhar brought winds of up to 130kph to Hong Kong. The Typhoon 8 storm warning level would typically shut down Hong Kong’s stock market, schools and businesses.
In Macau, authorities issue fresh flooding alerts as shops that were battered Wednesday remained closed yesterday, and traffic lights stayed blacked out after Hato wiped out power in the city.
“This is tough, but there is nothing we can do,” said Leung Chin-pang, the owner of a maintenance shop, who has been left without water supply since the first storm hit.
Pakhar, named after a freshwater fish in the lower Mekong river, smashed into southern China as worst-hit Macau was still picking up the pieces after Typhoon Hato, the city’s strongest typhoon in 53 years, according to the city government.
Hato, which triggered the most severe Typhoon 10 warning, had ripped through the gambling hub Wednesday, plunging casinos into darkness and causing destructive floods.
The official death toll in Macau reached 10, as the enclave’s government faces recriminations over its lack of preparation.
A further eight people are known to have died from Typhoon Hato in the Chinese province of Guangdong, which Pakhar also reached. AFP