Hong Kong Woke up today paralyzed, schools, transportation and shops closed, waiting for the arrival of the Super Typhoon Saola, approaching the southern coast of China, where it could land in the next few hours.
He The Hong Kong Meteorological Observatory raised it to level 8 out of a scale of ten this Friday. the storm warning, which could be increased to a maximum if wind speeds reach hurricane levels in coastal and high areas over the next two days.
At 8:00 a.m. local time, the storm was 230 km east and southeast of the financial center, approaching it with winds up to 205 km/h.
The agency warned that the weather would “deteriorate rapidly” as the day progressed Possibility of severe flooding in coastal areas In the afternoon, the site was at low altitude, so he urged residents to stay safe offshore.
With this forecast The city has been bracing for torrential rain and strong winds since Thursday: About 150 people were evacuated to temporary shelters on Friday while in the lower-lying areas, businesses and residents placed sandbags on the doors of their homes and protected their windows to prevent damage.
If the extraordinary cyclonic storm signal number 10 is issued, it would be the first time since 2018 that the observatory will issue the highest intensity and number 16 warning since records were made in 1946.
The transport network is one of the most affected flights by the arrival of the Saola, which has led to the cancellation of 366 flights and a delay of another 40, according to the airport authority, with airlines Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, HK Express and Greater being owned by Bay Airlines among the most affected.
in the earthly realm, The Airport Express train ran as usual until Friday noon, but some bus services and routes were restricted.
Before turning to mainland China, the Saola crossed southern Taiwan, and the outer bands of the storm lashed the southern towns of the island with torrential rains.
Before it reached the Philippines, At least one person died there and tens of thousands were displaced by the floods.
About six typhoons hit Hong Kong every year. usually in the June to October season, although only a fraction of this results in business or school closures.
The last super typhoon to hit the city was Mangkhutresulting in direct economic losses estimated at about HK$4,600 million (US$586 million) in 2018.