Yesterday, record-breaking floods spread throughout southern China and hit notable areas like Hong Kong and Shenzhen, along with many other cities within the region. The rainfall is said to be caused by the remnants of the Typhoon Haikui, the second typhoon to hit southern China in the past week after Typhoon Saola.
Hong Kong, flooded. Photo Courtesy: Reuters.
In Hong Kong, a “black” rainstorm warning was issued on Thursday night when rainfall began to exceed over 70 mm an hour. The Hong Kong Observatory reported an hourly rainfall of 158.1 mm, its highest ever rainfall since recordkeeping began in 1884. The rainfall, also affecting the city of Shenzhen which is directly across the border of Hong Kong, reported that it was experiencing its heaviest showers ever since they began recordkeeping in 1952.
Despite many buildings and services being shut down, some metro services were still available to use, with videos and pictures being taken by passengers showing platforms submerged, and workers wading through waist-deep water.
Flooded mall. Photo Courtesy: Wall Street Journal.
The rainfall would die down on Friday morning, when the city streets of those affected by the flood would be empty except for the littered debris from the aftermath. By the afternoon, the “black” warning issued out would be lowered to “amber”, and the city streets slowly became repopulated again. However, China’s meteorological administration has stated that it still expects extreme rainfall to continue in the southwestern region throughout the rest of Friday and Saturday.
The rainfall poses a huge threat to cities like Hong Kong and Shenzhen due to their close proximity to heavily forested slopes and in mountainous regions. This can add to the impact of the rain as more of the drains and rivers within the region become more overwhelmed by the floods. Land and mudslides also serve as a risk to the millions of people that live in the coastal areas of Southern China.
As of now, the death toll remains at two, with over 140 people injured. Emergency services claim that more than 100 people have been taken to hospitals, and that several rescues had taken place.
Connie Cheung, an assistant nurse at Hong Kong, says that, “I’ve never seen scenes like this before. Even during previous typhoons, it was never this severe. It’s quite terrifying.”
Flooded street. Photo Courtesy: The Hindu.
Commentaires