by Hong Kong was hit by its worst storm since records began in 1884, killing one person and bringing the city to a standstill.
The Asian financial hub reported 158.1mm of rain in just one hour on Thursday night, causing widespread flooding that forced the stock market to abandon trading on Friday.
More than 110 people, including four critical patients, were rushed to hospitals and medical centers due to injuries caused by the rain.
The Hong Kong Observatory raised its longest “Black” rain warning on Thursday as video and images on social media showed torrents of water pouring down hills, flooding narrow streets and flooding large areas, metro stations and subways.
The severe weather is expected to continue until at least 6pm (local time) on Friday, city officials said.
Heavy rains hit the city just a week after the typhoon shut down the city.
According to the authorities, more than 200mm of rain was recorded in the main island of Hong Kong, the district of Kowloon and the northeastern part of the New Territories of the city since the end of Thursday.
City leader John Lee Ka-chiu in two social media posts said he was very concerned about the flooding in many parts of the region and ordered all departments to respond “with all efforts”.
The city administration has faced a backlash due to its incompetence and the poor management of the Communist Party.
“In all my years of working in Hong Kong and in Hong Kong, I have never seen such floods. It is a direct result of the reckless, careless, oppressive CCP. [Communist Party of China] mismanagement, said Benedict Rogers, founder of the non-profit Watch in Hong Kong.
Resident Veronica Law responded to Mr Lee’s post saying: “Not everyone was on Facebook. Why isn’t an SMS sent to residents in this situation?”
“Is the president sleeping? “Do you know the big floods there,” Emi An asked casually South China Morning Post.
When asked about the lack of preparedness, chief secretary Eric Chan told reporters that the forecast was low compared to the typhoon. “So in a storm, we can make predictions ahead of time and prepare ahead of time,” he added.
Plainclothes officers and police officers monitor a landslide that has blocked a road at Yiu Tung Estate in Shau Kei Wan in Hong Kong
(AFP via Getty Images)
Schools have been ordered closed in Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Shenzhen, while non-essential workers have been urged to stay at home.
Buses and trains have been suspended as the city’s transport network is “severely disrupted” and the “critical situation” will be extended until midnight on Friday.
A car was swallowed by a meter-wide sinkhole when another section of the road collapsed, pictures on social media showed. Rescuers took one person to the hospital who died on arrival.
A car is towed after falling into a pothole caused by a landslide, following heavy rains that hit the city, Hong Kong.
(EPA)
The city’s tunnel across the harbor, one of the main arteries connecting Hong Kong island with Kowloon, was flooded and a shopping mall in the Chai Wan district was submerged.
Insurance claims may exceed $100 million and can be compared to Typhoon Mangkhut’s $470m in 2018, Bloomberg reported.
More than 11,000 people have been evacuated from flooded areas in Meizhou, a city in China’s Guangdong province, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Trains and flights were suspended in Guangdong and several landslides blocked roads.
Shenzhen’s total rainfall was 469mm – the heaviest since Shenzhen started weather records in 1952, the broadcaster reported.
Beijing has issued a flood warning for several districts of the Chinese capital, predicting heavy rain until Saturday night.
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