Hong Kong is slowly getting back to normal after Super Typhoon Ragasa caused a lot of damage. The storm hit the region hard, forcing many things to close. Meanwhile, Taiwan has updated its count of those who died, bringing the number down.
The super typhoon brought Hong Kong to a halt on Tuesday afternoon. Officials raised the highest typhoon warning, Level 10, for all of Wednesday. The powerful storm then moved on, making landfall in Yangjiang, a city in China’s Guangdong province.
Over 100 people were hurt in Hong Kong. Huge waves crashed along the eastern and southern coasts. Many areas saw flooding. The Fullerton Hotel, for instance, had seawater burst through its glass windows and flood its lobby. Luckily, no one at the hotel was injured, and it confirmed it is still open for guests.
By Thursday morning, September 25, Hong Kong International Airport was buzzing again. Airlines started flying from 6 AM. The airport expects to handle over 1,000 flights throughout the day. Public transportation systems are mostly running again. Many businesses have also reopened. However, kindergartens and some schools remain closed for now.
Crews are working tirelessly to clean up the city. Emergency workers are fixing damaged roads. They are also clearing over 1,000 fallen trees. About 85 flood spots across the city also need attention.
In Taiwan, where Ragasa first struck on Monday, the death toll has been adjusted. Officials found some deaths were counted twice. The number now stands at 14, down from the original report of 17. Most of these deaths happened when a mountain reservoir in Hualien district overflowed. This led to heavy flooding in Guangfu town.
The number of people still missing has also dropped. It is now 33, a sharp decrease from 152 just a day earlier. Taiwan has a good system for handling disasters. Still, some residents felt the evacuation warnings were not strong enough. They said the government only asked people to leave, rather than making them. Prime Minister Cho Chung-tai has since announced an investigation. This inquiry will look into why the evacuation efforts might have fallen short.
Source: channelnewsasia