Perilous Times and
Climate Change
Typhoon shuts down Hong Kong, hits China
by Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) Sept 29, 2011
A powerful typhoon brought Hong Kong to a shutdown Thursday, with
financial markets and businesses forced to close as it swept past
before slamming into the Chinese island of Hainan.
Typhoon Nesat, which claimed 35 lives when it barrelled across the
Philippines this week, buffeted Hong Kong with winds of up to 121
kilometres (75 miles) an hour.
Weather authorities in mainland China issued the first red typhoon
alert of the year as Nesat gained momentum near Hainan, an island
popular with tourists.
China's National Meteorological Centre warned of flooding and
mudslide risks on Hainan and urged the cancellation of all outdoor
activities.
About 300,000 people were evacuated in Hainan in the face of the
strongest typhoon to hit China this year as it landed in Wenchang
city packing winds of up to 151 kilometres an hour.
Authorities in the island province called boats back to port,
suspended flight and ferry services and closed schools, but there
were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
In Vietnam, authorities said fishing boats should return to port
and urged farmers to harvest crops quickly to reduce potential
losses from Nesat, which is expected to reach northern provinces
on Friday.
The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted a number-eight tropical cyclone
warning before dawn, triggering the closure of schools and
transport services, and authorities opened typhoon shelters for
those seeking refuge.
Three people were injured by falling scaffolding and tree
branches, and about 50 people were evacuated from their homes
after a barge slipped its moorings in heavy seas and crashed into
a seawall, public broadcaster RTHK said.
Most businesses were shut and bus services halted, leaving the
normally bustling central business district eerily quiet, with
only a few people struggling to work on foot.
The observatory lowered the number-eight warning to number three
at 4:10pm (0810 GMT) as Nesat made its way across the South China
Sea, skirting Hong Kong before making landfall on the resort
island of Hainan.
In Hong Kong, the observatory urged the public to continue to
remain alert.
"Nesat has made landfall over the northeastern part of Hainan
island this afternoon, and continues to move further away from
Hong Kong," it said.
Financial markets, courts, schools and government buildings are
all closed and ferry services suspended during a number-eight
signal. The highest signal that can be issued is number 10.
Hong Kong, a major shipping hub, also suspended port services.
At least 287 flights were disrupted at Hong Kong International
Airport by Thursday afternoon, including 20 cancellations and 245
delays, an airport authority spokeswoman told AFP.
A similar number-eight warning was hoisted in the southern Chinese
city of Macau, which is an hour's ferry ride from Hong Kong,
suspending public transportation and closing schools there too.
In the Philippines, tens of thousands of people were still
battling neck-deep floodwaters Thursday after Nesat's deadly path
across Luzon, and authorities said the toll was likely to rise.
Nesat made landfall in the Philippines on Tuesday, bringing heavy
rains and winds that caused storm surges and massive flooding
including in the capital Manila.