Haima thrashes Hong Kong
HONG KONG: The usually frenetic streets of Hong Kong were deserted yesterday as the city was battered by Typhoon Haima after the storm left a trail of deaths and damage in the Philippines.
More than 700 flights in and out of Hong Kong were cancelled or delayed, roads were clear of cars and pavements empty, with schools and offices shut as the storm passed east of the region and hit southern mainland China.
Trading on the city’s stock exchange was also cancelled for the day.
As Haima swept past Hong Kong in the early afternoon, trees were felled by winds and waves crashed over coastal roads.
At 2pm (3pm Thai time) Haima’s centre was 110km to the northeast of Hong Kong as the storm made landfall near Shanwei in China’s southern Guangdong province, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.
The observatory issued a Number 8 storm signal yesterday — the third-highest warning level. “As the western part of Haima’s eye wall is rather close to Hong Kong, gales will affect the territory for some time,” the observatory said.
It warned the public to stay away from the shoreline because of rough seas, but many residents turned storm watchers.
In the western neighbourhood of Kennedy Town, people laughed and joked as they were soaked by waves.
“I’m from Nepal and I used to live by a lake. I like playing with the water. I’m not afraid of the water,” said one resident who gave his name as Raju.
Others jogged, fished and practised tai chi as the storm rolled in.
Rain poured down into the early afternoon and winds gusted up to 105kph.
Ferry services including the region’s famous cross-harbour Star Ferry were cancelled.
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific said it experienced “significant disruptions” to its flights between 11am and 10pm yesterday.
Underground metro train services were also reduced and all buses cancelled.
The government set up more than 20 shelters.
The territory was to remain in lockdown for most of yesterday until the storm passed.
It comes after a week of downpours in Hong Kong that brought severe flooding to some parts of the semi-autonomous region.
Traffic was caught in torrents of water flowing down main roads on Wednesday.
The observatory issued its severest “black rainstorm” warning.
One elderly man became a local hero after online images of him calmly reading a newspaper in a flooded branch of Starbucks went viral, earning him the nickname “Starbucks uncle”.