Hong Kong
China’s National Meteorological Center has issued a Red Alert as Super Typhoon Usagi heads straight for the South China Coast. Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces are covered in the alert.
Asia’s strongest typhoon of the year is heading straight for the South China Coast after wreaking harvoc in the Philippines and Taiwan. Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta lie right in the Super Typhoon’s path.
Landfall is expected Monday night or Sunday morning.
“Engineers, architects, and contractors should make sure that scaffoldings, hoardings, windowpanes, and other temporary structures are secured,” the Hong Kong Observatory says in a statement.
“The public should remain vigilant, and take precautions against strong winds and flooding as early as possible.”
How to Prepare
- Evacuate coastal areas.
- Tie down objects on balconies or rooftops.
- Stay indoors.
- Stay away from exposed windows.
- Listen to the radio.
- Make sure to have plenty of bottled water and food that doesn’t need to be cooked.
- Make sure to have batteries, candles, and matches in the event of a power outage.
The jury is still out on whether to apply tape to exposed windows. Some recommend this for older buildings in the belief that it will reduce the chance of injury should windows shatter.
Others say that it could make things worse if bits of shard get stuck together.
Airlines Cancel Flights
Cathay Pacific Airway and affiliated Dragonair have canceled operations at Hong Kong Interantional Airport starting at 6 p.m. Sunday. Flight disruptions are expected to continue until Monday.
The airline is monitoring the situation closely and will issue further advice on the resumption of flight services,” Cathay says in a statement.
“It is anticipated that disruptions will continue on 23 September due to the impact of adverse weather and operational constraints.”