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8 Facts About the Hong Kong Typhoon S’poreans Should Know About

Boon Hun

2018-09-17 , 3:35 pm

It’s nearing the end of the year and many Singaporeans are planning their overseas trips.

If your destination happens to be Hong Kong, well, you might not want to travel there so soon.

Because the country has just withstood one of the worst typhoons and the people are now picking up the pieces.

Read Also: Latest Nas Daily Video is About S’pore (Again) & It Featured PM Lee

Here are 8 facts about the Hong Kong Typhoon Singaporeans should know about.

1. Typhoon Mangkhut, The World’s Biggest Typhoon in 2018 So Far

On 16 September (Sunday), Typhoon Mangkhut, hit the streets of Hong Kong. Literally.

The Hong Kong weather authority asked residents to stay away from waterfront areas and issued the maximum alert for the storm.

2. The Trail of Destruction Left In The Wake of Typhoon Mangkhut Is Unbelievable

The storm lasted for ten hours.

During the super typhoon, winds in the city reportedly reached 232 km per hour. Authorities have warned residents from staying outside during the storm.

Here’s a video compilation of the destruction caused by the typhoon.

Flooding, dangerous flying objects like rubbish bins and construction cranes snapping into half like toothpicks were sighted across the city.

Trees were snapped into half, and windows and walls were smashed.

3. Power Outage Across Hong Kong

As with any natural disaster, people ran the risk of losing power to their homes. Which makes it even scarier because, well, imagine being in the dark and you can’t charge your smartphone.

Scary.

But losing power has an even more alarming consequence. Life support machines in hospitals require power to operate.

Without electricity, the death toll of patients could skyrocket.

Several hospitals in Hong Kong had to rely on their backup generator for power after they discovered that electricity to the hospital was erratic.

4. Every Casino In Macau Shuts Down At The Same Time For The First Time in History

For the first time in Macau’s history, all the casinos in Macau closed their doors.

All across the city, shops were boarded up and protected by sandbags and the city of Macau turned into a ghost town.

The authorities have warned that the area would be facing a severe flood. And they were right.

Water gushed from the harbour into the city and streets in parts of Macau were underwater.

5. The Government Has Been Warning Residents For Days

Hong Kong was well-prepared for Typhoon Mangkhut. Days before the typhoon hit, the government have issued warnings to the residents.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated to storm shelters by the government in preparation for severe floods in low-lying areas.

People were stocking up at grocery stores, boarding or taping their windows to minimise the danger of broken glass.

This was a far cry from Typhoon Hato last year where the authorities failed to warn the residents of Macau in time.

Typhoon Hato left 12 people dead and widespread damage across the city. Thankfully, for typhoon Mangkhut, there were no reported deaths.

6. Hong Kong Started Cleaning Up The Next Day

On 17 Sep 2018, the people of Hong Kong started to pick up their lives again. Roads have to be cleared, floods have to be cleared and damage has to be assessed.

The financial markets and offices opened up as usual on Monday for operations.

Meanwhile, flights are gradually resuming operations after they were suspended on Sunday, leaving thousands of people stranded in the country.

In Macau, while casinos have opened for business again, the authorities are struggling to restore power to over 20,000 households.

While there were 17 injured during the storm, there were no reported deaths.

7. Hong Kong Didn’t Get The Worst of It

The next stop for typhoon Mangkhut was mainland China.

The authorities had to evacuate more than 3 million people and recall all fishing boats back into the harbour.

At least two people died to Typhoon Mangkhut in Guangdong and 24,000 government officials were

The storm was forecast to hit the regions of Guizhou, Chongqing and Yunnan on 17 Sep 2018.

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8. Typhoon Mangkhut Killed 50 in the Philippines

Before Typhoon Mangkhut made its way to Hong Kong, it passed through the Philippines with devastating consequences.

It struck the northern Philippines as a super typhoon, causing floods and landslides on the northern island of Luzon.

When it slammed into the Philippines, it did so with winds of up to 270 km per hour.

Reports listed at least 65 people killed by the super typhoon and another 43 missing.

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