Friday 19 / April / 2024
Hong Kong braces for Typhoon Hato, a maximum category 10 storm, with hundreds of flights canceled, trading in financial markets suspended and schools and most businesses in the Asian financial hub closed. Samanatha Vadas reports.
Hong Kong waking up to Hato on Wednesday (August 23), the category 10 typhoon that's tearing through the city.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and schools and business are closed, as locals battened down the hatches for one of the worst storms they've seen in years.
By mid-morning Hato had already left a trail of destruction.
It churned up Hong Kong's iconic Victoria Harbour and sent enormous waves crashing onto the city's popular beaches, as the government warned sea levels could rise up to five metres, posing a risk of serious flooding in low lying areas.
Transport services have been brought to a halt with major rail delays and no ferries travelling to Macau or Hong Kong's outlying islands.
Morning trading in the city's financial markets was pushed back before being suspended for the entire day.
Next stop for Hato is the Pearl River estuary, as the heavy rain and punishing winds barrel toward mainland China.
