Millions flee as killer typhoon strikes China
● Hong Kong told: ‘Prepare for worst’ ● 2.4m relocated in just one province
Hong Kong and southern China were on red alert last night as strong winds and heavy rain from Typhoon Mangkhut pummelled the coast.
The typhoon has left at least two people dead after the massive storm slammed into southern China’s Guangdong province.
More than 2.4 million people had been evacuated by yesterday evening as they attempted to flee the typhoon. China is being battered after the typhoon first hit the northern Philippines, where at least 64 people were killed.
Hong Kong and China are on red alert as strong winds and heavy rain from Typhoon Manghkut hit the densely populated coast.
Typhoon Mangkhut has wreaked havoc on the northern Philippines and southern China, leaving dozens of people dead and forcing millions to evacuate.
Authorities in southern China had issued a red alert, the most severe warning, as the national meteorological centre said the densely populated region would face a “severe test caused by wind and rain” and urged officials to prepare for possible disasters.
The typhoon barrelled into southern China yesterday after lashing the northern Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain. Dozens are feared buried in a landslide.
Ahead of the massive typhoon, nearly half a million people were evacuated from seven cities in China’s Guangdong province.
The massive storm made landfall on Saturday on the northeastern tip of Luzon island in the Philippines with sustained gusts of over 150 mph.
It then moved on to Hong Kong and elsewhere in southern China. Chinese state media cited the Guangdong provincial meteorological station as saying that by Sunday evening, more than 2.4 million people had been relocated and nearly 50,000 fishing boats called back to port.
The gambling enclave of Macau closed casinos for the first time and the Hong Kong Observatory warned people to stay away from the Victoria Harbour landmark, where storm surges battered the sandbag-reinforced waterfront.
State television broadcaster CGTN reported that surging waves flooded a seaside hotel in the city of Shenzhen.
The Hong Kong Observatory said although Mangkhut had
weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rains were bringing heavy downfall and frequent squalls.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled. All high-speed and some normal rail services in Guangdong and Hainan provinces were also halted, the China Railway Guangzhou Group said.
In Hong Kong, a video posted online by residents showed the top corner of an old building break and fall off while in another video, a tall building swayed as strong winds blew.
The storm also broke windows, felled trees, tore bamboo scaffolding off buildings under construction and flooded areas with sometimes waist-high waters, according to the South China Morning Post.
The paper said the heavy rains brought storm surges of nine feet around Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Security Minister John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents to prepare for the worst.
“Because Mangkhut will bring winds and rains of extraordinary speed and severity, our preparation and response efforts will be greater than in the past,” Lee said. “Each department must have a sense of crisis, make a comprehensive assessment and plan, and prepare for the worst.”
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific said all of its flights would be cancelled between 2:30am yesterday and 4 am today. The city of Shenzhen also cancelled all flights until early this morning. Hainan Airlines cancelled 234 flights in the cities of Haikou, Sanya, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai scheduled this weekend.
In Macau, next door to Hong Kong, casinos were ordered to close from late on Saturday, the first time such action was taken in the city, the South China Morning Post reported. Macau suffered catastrophic flooding during typhoon hato last year, leading to accusations of corruption and incompetence at its meteorological office.
In Macau’s inner harbour district on Sunday, the water level reached 1.5 meters and was expected to rise further.