Hong Kong Braces for Super Typhoon Saola, Businesses and Schools Shut
HONG KONG, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Hong Kong is preparing for the arrival of super typhoon Saola as authorities raised the strong wind signal to No.8, resulting in the closure of most businesses, schools, and even the stock exchange.
Saola, with winds exceeding 200 kph (125 mph), is expected to move towards the coast of eastern Guangdong, the neighboring province on the Chinese mainland. Chinese authorities have warned that it could be one of the five strongest typhoons to hit Guangdong since 1949.
The typhoon is predicted to come within 100km (60 miles) of Hong Kong on Friday night and Saturday morning, causing rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, according to the city’s weather observatory. The observatory is also considering the issuance of higher cyclone warning signals later in the day.
Hong Kong has five rankings for typhoons, ranging from 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest hurricane signal.
As a precaution, all schools in Hong Kong will be closed on Friday, despite it being the first day of term for many students, as announced by the government.
Amidst the impending storm, crowds rushed to fresh food markets in the downtown Wan Chai district on Thursday afternoon, with many vegetables already sold out. Supermarkets also saw long queues as people stocked up on supplies.
The Hong Kong Observatory has warned of heavy rain, violent winds, and a rise in water levels that could lead to serious flooding until Saturday.
Cathay Pacific, the city’s flagship carrier, has canceled all flights in and out of Hong Kong between 2 pm local time on Friday and 10 am on Saturday. Further flight delays and cancellations may be necessary based on the typhoon’s path on Saturday morning.
In addition to Saola, a second typhoon named Haikui is approaching Taiwan and is expected to make landfall on the northern part of the island on Sunday before heading towards the eastern Chinese city of Fuzhou, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.
Reporting by Farah Master; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Lincoln Feast.