Although 110 people were evacuated in Hong Kong, the storm has so far caused two deaths. More than 130 people had to be taken to hospital.
It is not known whether there were also deaths on the Chinese mainland, where authorities in the flooded industrial city of Meizhou moved 11,000 people to a safer location. In Guangdong, rain will continue until at least Saturday, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
The heavy rains were caused by the end of Typhoon Haikui, which will make its way along China’s southern coast starting Tuesday. Many affected areas in mainland China are still flooded after heavy rains from Typhoon Saola, the largest recent typhoon. Haikui, the Chinese word for sea anemone, caused $691 million in economic losses.
The highest typhoon warning has been in effect for Hong Kong since Thursday, also a record: never has this “code black” been necessary for more than sixteen hours. Within hours, Hong Kong’s sewerage system had to deal with the amount of rain that normally falls in 90 days. The sewers couldn’t handle it, so streets, an important traffic tunnel, a metro line, and shopping malls were flooded.
Hong Kong residents were advised to stay at home until the worst of times passed after midnight on Friday. Schools remained closed in both Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Shenzhen on Friday. Public transportation was partially halted due to floods and mudslides. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange was also closed on Friday.
