Super Typhoon Saola sweeps towards southern China cities

AFP | Hong Kong

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Tens of millions of people in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and other southern Chinese megacities sheltered indoors yesterday as Super Typhoon Saola threatened to become the strongest storm to hit the region in decades.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled across the region, the start of the school year was delayed in Hong Kong, and the rain-drenched finance hub’s streets were deserted.

China’s national weather office had predicted Saola “may become the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the Pearl River Delta since 1949”, referring to a low-lying region that includes Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province.

With a direct hit possible, authorities in Hong Kong raised the warning level yesterday evening to the city’s highest -- “T10” -- which had only been issued 16 times since World War II before Saola.

“Do not go outside and stay away from exposed windows and doors. Make sure you have a safe place to shelter and be prepared for the change in wind directions,” the Hong Kong Observatory warned in a bulletin issued at 8:15 pm (1215 GMT).

Packing sustained winds of 210 km (130 miles) per hour, Saola’s impact poses “a high threat to Hong Kong”, and is expected to skirt the city in the next few hours.

“Members of the public should stay on high alert. You are advised to remain where you are if protected and be prepared for destructive winds,” the observatory said.