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| Severe typhoon Nuri hits Hong Kong |
| Bloomberg / Tokyo Aug 23, 2008, 02:28 IST |
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Hong Kong warned residents to stay inside and prepare for sudden, violent winds as the eye of Severe Tropical Storm Nuri passed over the city after weakening from typhoon strength.
The No. 9 Storm Signal was still in effect at 11 pm local time, the Hong Kong Observatory said in its latest bulletin. The eye of Nuri, the 13th storm of the northwestern Pacific cyclone season, is passing directly over the city and is forecast to move north-northwest at about 14 kilometers per hour toward the general direction of the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
There may be a temporary lull that lasts from a few minutes to several hours that will be followed by a sudden resumption of violent winds from a different direction, the observatory said. Winds as high as 95 kph (59 miles per hour) were recorded after 10 pm.
Eight people were treated for injuries at hospitals around Hong Kong as the storm felled trees and knocked over walls, the government said in a situation report.
Hong Kong's streets in Central District were deserted with branches strewn across some highways. Across the border in China, Guangdong provincial authorities ordered the evacuation of 246,000 people, the South China Morning Post reported.
All lanes on Shenzhen Bay Bridge closed, and ferries between Hong Kong, the outlying islands and Macau halted, according to Xinhua News Agency. Chinese government departments were told to prepare for the typhoon's landfall.
Flights Canceled
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Hong Kong's biggest carrier, and other airlines canceled or delayed 188 flights to and from the city. Another six flights were diverted.
Nuri’s winds slowed from as high as 176 kph when it slammed into the northern Philippines as a typhoon, leaving at least seven people dead earlier this week.
Winds as high as 95 kph battered Hong Kong as the eye of Nuri got closer to the city, where residents were warned to rush to complete all preparations for the storm's approach.
Hong Kong is frequently hit by typhoons and tropical storms during the northern hemisphere's summer. Tropical Storm Kammuri pummeled the city earlier this month, forcing schools and markets to close and delaying the delivery of horses for equestrian events at the Olympics.
Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd said it canceled trading for the afternoon session as well as the morning.
MTR Corp, Hong Kong's subway and railway operator, said on its hotline some lines in the city are running less frequently. The Airport Express to the central business district is running normally, it said. All ferries and trams and most bus services have been suspended since 10 am.
Nuri is the name of a blue-crowned parakeet in Malaysia, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which lists names used for tropical storms and typhoons formed in the northwest Pacific.
Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 2.6 per cent yesterday. “It’s lucky that Hong Kong markets didn't open today to avoid slumping further,” Leung said.
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