On Wednesday, September 24th, Typhoon “Hualongsha” hit southern China, affecting millions of people. Prior to this, the strongest tropical cyclone of the year had caused 14 deaths and dozens of people missing in Taiwan, as well as bringing strong winds and heavy rain to Hong Kong.
The fire department in Taiwan reported on Wednesday that after a dam in Hualien County in the east broke, flooding rushed into the town, resulting in at least 129 people missing. Since the beginning of this week, the outer rain bands of Typhoon “Hualongsha” have been bringing heavy rain to Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong is facing the onslaught of surging waves. Giant waves are crashing onto the southeastern coastline of this Asian financial center, rushing down the sidewalks turning into swift white waves, submerging roads in residential areas.
A viral video showed that at the Fuhaidun Ocean Park Hotel in Hong Kong, seawater burst through the glass doors and flooded the hotel, engulfing an entire floor. As of Wednesday, no one answered the phone at the hotel.
For the first time this year, China’s maritime authorities issued the highest level “red” wave warning, forecasting that when Typhoon “Hualongsha” directly hits the Pearl River Delta, parts of Guangdong may experience storm surges of up to 2.8 meters (9 feet).
Typhoon “Hualongsha” formed in the western Pacific Ocean last week. Driven by warm ocean currents and favorable atmospheric conditions, this tropical cyclone rapidly intensified, developing into a super typhoon with wind speeds exceeding 260 kilometers per hour (162 miles per hour) earlier this week.
“Hualongsha” has now weakened to a Category 3 typhoon, but is still capable of causing fallen trees, broken power lines, shattered glass, and building damage.
It is expected that Typhoon “Hualongsha” will pass about 100 kilometers south of Hong Kong today and make landfall along the southern coast of China later in the afternoon. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Dongguan, as major cities in the path of the typhoon, will collectively be affected by approximately 50 million people.
According to official reports from China, over 770,000 people have been evacuated. To withstand the approaching typhoon, some shops and restaurants in Guangdong Province have even parked rented large trucks in front of their establishments as a precaution.
China’s maritime authorities have warned of the extremely high flood risk in Shenzhen, especially in low-lying areas. The storm surge alert is expected to remain in effect until Thursday of this week.
According to the South China Morning Post, on Tuesday, a woman and her 5-year-old son were swept away by the waves while watching the typhoon on the Hong Kong waterfront. Currently, both are receiving treatment in intensive care.
Around 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Hong Kong downgraded the typhoon signal from T10 to T8, but the entire city remains in a shutdown state.
The Hong Kong Hospital Authority stated that Typhoon “Hualongsha” has resulted in at least 50 injuries, and 791 residents have been evacuated to 50 temporary shelters.
In Macau, the gaming areas of casinos have been forced to close, with guests currently staying being asked not to leave the casino hotels.