Severe typhoon Utor hits Hong Kong

HONG KONG (UPDATED) – Hong Kong battened down Wednesday, August 14, as Severe Typhoon Utor (Philippine codename Labuyo) forced the closure of the city’s financial market and schools and disrupted hundreds of flights after leaving 6 dead in the Philippines.

Gusts of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour were recorded, with rain lashing down, as the Hong Kong Observatory issued a “Number 8” storm warning — the 3rd highest level.

The Airport Authority said it expected 100 flights to be cancelled, with another 174 delayed. Ferry services to outlying islands and mainland China were halted, stranding passengers at various terminals.

In one part of town the high winds dislodged a satellite dish which fell and crashed into a row of motorcycles. Elsewhere trees were blown over, blocking one road.

The city’s streets were noticeably quiet with many workers staying home as businesses and schools shuttered.

The Hong Kong stock exchange cancelled the morning session and was to decide at noon (0400 GMT) whether any trade would be possible on Wednesday.

Utor, which is packing winds of 165 km/h near its center, was heading towards the western coast of Guangdong in southeast China, the observatory said.

The government opened 17 temporary shelters, with dozens of people seeking refuge.

One 26-year-old woman was taken to hospital as a result of the storm, according to the city’s hospital authority, which said her condition was stable but had no further details.

Utor is predicted to make landfall on Wednesday night or Thursday morning (August 15), according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.

Waves as high as 11 m (36 feet) were expected in the north of the South China Sea, it reported, with disaster prevention teams requested for the Guangdong area.

Devastation in the Philippines

The storm earlier swept across the Philippines, flattening houses and causing flash floods and landslides.

The Philippine’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the death toll from the typhoon had risen to 7, with 4 people still missing as rescuers rushed to reach areas isolated by the storm.

Two people were confirmed dead in the central island of Cebu after they were washed away by a flash-flood while two fishermen drowned in the eastern town of Casiguran, Aurora, the hardest-hit by the storm, the council said.

In Benguet, one man was crushed by a landslide while another man drowned, the council said in a statement.

Four people, mostly fishermen, were also listed as missing.

Almost 42,000 people were still homeless in the Philippines after Utor toppled light structures, ripped the roofs off homes and buildings and inundated farms, cutting off some towns with landslides and fallen trees, the council said.

As the weather cleared, relief agencies sent workers and supplies to the ravaged towns while heavy equipment was deployed to clear the roads.

Hundreds of people die from the roughly 20 typhoons or tropical storms that strike the Philippines each year.

Utor hit land with wind gusts reaching 200 km (125 mi) an hour early Monday, August 12, making it the strongest storm this year, according to the Philippine weather bureau. – Rappler.com