Heavy rain causes severe flooding in Hong Kong and Shenzhen

Videos from Chinese state media showed water pouring down steep hillsides in Hong Kong, flooding narrow streets and inundating shopping malls, subway stations and tunnels.

Drainage workers assist a driver stranded by floods in Hong Kong, China on September 8, 2023. Photo: Reuters

The severe weather also brought chaos to the nearby city of Shenzhen, a tech hub of more than 17.7 million people, with key transport routes and trade and manufacturing systems severely affected.

"I have never seen something like this before. Even in previous storms, it was never this severe. It was scary," said Connie Cheung, a 65-year-old nurse in Hong Kong.

The record-breaking rains were caused by Typhoon Haikui, which made landfall in China’s Fujian province on Tuesday. Although it later weakened to a tropical depression, its slow-moving clouds dumped huge amounts of rain on areas still drenched by Typhoon Saola a week earlier.

The Hong Kong Meteorological Department issued its highest “black” rainstorm warning early on Friday morning. It said more than 200mm of rain had been recorded on Hong Kong’s main island since late Thursday. The warning was downgraded at 6pm but authorities warned of ongoing flooding risks.

Meanwhile, the China Meteorological Administration said heavy rain would fall until early Saturday in central and southwestern Guangdong province. All schools, some subway stations and offices in Shenzhen, Guangdong were closed on Friday.

Rushing water in Hong Kong, China on September 8, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Flooded taxis. Photo: Reuters

A flooded parking garage in Hong Kong caused extensive property damage. Photo: Reuters

Video from state media showed people clinging to safety belts as they waded through waist-deep water in Shenzhen. Rainfall logs showed 465.5mm of rain fell in Shenzhen in just 12 hours, the most since records began in 1952.

Shenzhen media said daily rainfall in the city in the Pearl River Delta that links Hong Kong to mainland China is expected to exceed 500 mm.

Videos showed both the entrance and exit areas of Shenzhen Railway Station flooded, with trains connecting the city and the provincial capital Guangzhou suspended. About 100 people were trapped at the station.

Schools in 10 districts of Guangzhou were closed for the day or opened late, while the city of Zhuhai near Macau warned of flooding and landslides. The industrial city of Dongguan north of Shenzhen also reported its heaviest rainfall in 15 years.

Huy Hoang (according to Xinhua News Agency, SCMP, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/mua-lon-gay-lu-lut-nghiem-trong-o-hong-kong-va-tham-quyen-post263843.html