China: Hong Kong has taken several measures as Typhoon Saola approaches the southern coast of China. These measures include grounding flights, closing the stock market, and shutting down schools.
Saola had wind speeds exceeding 205 kilometres per hour (127 miles per hour) as it approached within 230 kilometres (142 miles) east-southeast of the financial hub at approximately 8:00 AM local time (00:00 GMT), as reported by Hong Kong’s observatory.
The observatory stated that the weather would worsen quickly during the day and cautioned about the potential for significant flooding in coastal areas with low elevation. The public was advised to avoid the shoreline as well.
On the Chinese mainland, authorities issued the most severe typhoon warning for the storm. State media reported that the typhoon is expected to make landfall “in the coastal areas from Huilai to Hong Kong” on 1 September afternoon or evening.
Guangdong province has declared a level I windstorm emergency, which is the highest level of emergency response.
China’s National Meteorological Centre has issued a red alert, which is the most severe level in its four-tier warning system. According to the state-run global media outlet, over 100,000 people in eastern China’s Fujian province have been moved to safer locations in preparation for the typhoon’s arrival.
As a precaution, several Chinese cities postponed the beginning of the school year. Additionally, China Railway Guangzhou Group reported the suspension of nearly 4,000 trains as earlier stated by state media CCTV.
A direct hit on Hong Kong is unusual, but the observatory mentioned that it would consider whether to issue more severe tropical cyclone warning signals later in the evening.
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