Typhoon Saola Makes Landfall In Southern China, Around 900,000 People Moved To Safety

Around 900,000 were moved to safety before Typhoon Saola made landfall in southern China a powerful storm churned outside of Zhuhai, south of Hong Kong at 3:30 AM.

People stand with an umbrella during the rain and high winds brought by Super Typhoon Saola as Super Typhoon Saola hits Hong Kong.

Typhoon Saola made landfall on Saturday just before dawn, Guangdong province’s meteorological bureau stated that a powerful storm churned outside of Zhuhai, south of Hong Kong at 3:30 AM, according to the Associated Press. The bureau predicted that it would move in a southwesterly direction along the Guangdong coast at a speed of around 17 kilometres per hour and then gradually weaken before heading out to sea. Ahead of the storm, southern parts of China and Hong Kong shut businesses and transport.

All schools in Hong Kong remain closed despite it being the beginning of the school year. Tech hub Shenzhen went a step further, suspending work, businesses and financial markets from Friday afternoon. Hundreds of people were stranded at airports as about 460 flights were cancelled in the key regional business and travel hub.

As per AP news, around 900,000 people were moved to safety in total, 780,000 people in Guangdong were moved away from zones at risk another 100,000 in neighbouring Fujian province on Friday. More than 80,000 fishing vessels returned to port. In Guangdong, the rail authorities in mainland China shut down all trains entering or leaving the province from Friday night to Saturday evening.

The Hong Kong Observatory had issued a No. 10 hurricane alert, the highest warning under the city’s weather system. Hong Kong has five rankings for typhoons, 1, 3, 8, 9 and the highest 10. It was the first No. 10 warning since Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong in 2018.

The Observatory said that Saola, which sustained winds of 195 kilometres per hour, came closest to Hong Kong at around 11 PM on Friday. The eyewall was moving across the city overnight which was a threat to the city overnight. By Saturday morning, the maximum wind speed had fallen to 145 kilometres per hour.

There was a warning of serious flooding in the coastal region with the maximum water level like Mangkut. The observatory also warned of the felling of trees and scaffolding tearing of buildings in the city. 

China, in recent months, has experienced some of its heaviest rains and flooding in years in various regions, which killed dozens even in Beijing.