The alert level is now maximum in Hong Kong. The super typhoon, which is dangerously approaching the Chinese coast on Friday, September 1, could be “the most powerful since 1949 to affect the Pearl River Delta”, which includes several major cities such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Macao. , said the National Meteorological Center on the Weibo social network.
The authorities thus raised the alert level from T8 to T9 and then to T10, the maximum, issued only sixteen times since the Second World War. They anticipate a significant increase in the force of the wind, likely to reach “118 km / h or more” with gusts that can exceed 220 km / h.
“Do not go out and stay away from exterior windows and doors. Make sure you have shelter,” the Hong Kong Meteorological Observatory warned tens of millions of affected residents. A direct impact on Hong Kong being possible, many security measures have already been taken: some 300 flights have been canceled and the start of the school year has been postponed.
The streets of Hong Kong were deserted on Friday, except for a few people looking for last-minute purchases, like Ms. Lee, accompanied by her granddaughter. According to her, the government made the right choice by delaying the start of the school year. “It’s better to wait until this is over before sending the children to school,” she said.
Storefronts and windows in businesses and homes have been protected with duct tape, while entrances to office buildings near Victoria Harbor have been barricaded in an attempt to keep water out.
The Exchange announced, for its part, the cancellation of “morning trading sessions for all markets”.
In mainland China, Guangdong Province has declared a Level I wind emergency, the maximum level. Shenzhen, one of the country’s main economic centers, has ordered the closure of offices, shops and markets and opened shelters for the population.
All public transport in the city of 17.7 million people ceased service in the evening, while trains to and from Guangzhou are suspended until 6 p.m. local Saturday.
“My eldest son was supposed to go to Chengdu University today [central] but his flight was canceled,” said Wu Wenlai, 43, a restaurateur in suburban Shenzhen. But he is not worried despite the warning from the authorities. “We’re used to it. We usually have several typhoons a year. »
Dozens of delivery drivers braved strong winds and rain to reach residents who had taken refuge in their homes. “I will work until I feel it is too dangerous,” said one, 22-year-old Chai Jijie. People don’t want to go out but want to have provisions. There are a lot of delivery requests. »
The authorities of Macao, a neighboring territory of Hong Kong, are considering the possibility of issuing a T8 level alert on Saturday.
Surfers took advantage of winds that were already reaching 63 km / h to compete against huge waves generated by the approach of the typhoon in Hong Kong.
“There could be severe flooding” in the eastern coastal areas, said the meteorological observatory, which considers possible water levels similar to those caused by Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018. More than 300 people were injured in Hong Kong. In mainland China, it had affected more than three million people in the southern provinces, killing six.
In a low-lying fishing village in flood-prone Lei Yue Mun district, water has already risen, seeping into shops, where sandbags barricade closed doors. “We raised [the appliances] so the water wouldn’t damage them,” a restaurateur named Lee told a local TV station, hoping to keep his business going.
Southern China is frequently hit by typhoons that form in the warm oceans east of the Philippines in summer and autumn and then move west.
Although they can temporarily disrupt activity in cities like Hong Kong and Macau, typhoons cause far fewer casualties and damage, thanks to stricter building standards and better flood management systems.
Climate change has increased the intensity of tropical storms, with more rainfall and stronger gusts causing flash flooding and coastal damage, experts say.
