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Record rainfall causes flooding in Hong Kong days after typhoon

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A woman walks past a tree brought down by Typhoon Saola on a road in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong, China, 02 September 2023. EPA-EFE/Bertha Wang" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/overseas/09/08/20230908-hk-rain-epa.jpg"/><figcaption>A woman walks past a tree brought down by Typhoon Saola on a road in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong, China, 02 September 2023. <em>EPA-EFE/Bertha Wang</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Record rainfall in Hong Kong caused widespread flooding in the early hours of Friday, disrupting road and rail traffic just days after the city dodged major damage from a super typhoon.</p><p>The Hong Kong Observatory, the city&#x27;s weather agency, reported hourly rainfall of 158.1 millimetres at its headquarters in the hour leading up to midnight, the highest since records began in 1884.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/02/23/typhoon-saola-tracks-along-southern-china">Typhoon Saola weakens to a severe storm as it tracks along southern China</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/01/23/super-typhoon-saola-sweeps-towards-southern-china-megacities">Super Typhoon Saola sweeps towards southern China megacities</a></li></ul><p>Late on Thursday, authorities in the Chinese city said various districts had been flooded and emergency services were conducting rescue operations. Members of the public were instructed to stay in a safe place.</p><p>&quot;Heavy rain will bring flash floods,&quot; the Observatory warned. &quot;Residents living in close proximity to rivers should stay alert to weather conditions and should consider evacuation&quot; if their homes are flooded, it added.</p><p>No injuries were reported in the early hours of Friday.</p><p>Earlier in the week, Typhoon Haikui left a trail of destruction in Taiwan before crossing the strait and making landfall in China&#x27;s Fujian province on Tuesday.</p><p>Hong Kong&#x27;s observatory said the latest torrential rain was brought by the &quot;trough of low pressure associated with (the) remnant of Haikui&quot;.</p><p>The city&#x27;s Mass Transit Railway announced that it would partially suspend service on one of its lines after a station in the Wong Tai Sin district was flooded, with another handful of stations also affected.</p><p>Footage circulated on social media showed an MTR train not stopping at Wong Tai Sin station, which had floodwater on its platform.</p><p>Other video clips showed cars and buses half-submerged on main roads.</p><p>Heavy rain was also reported in the neighbouring Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen.</p><p>Shenzhen prepared to discharge water from its reservoirs, according to Hong Kong officials, which they said could lead to flooding in parts of northern Hong Kong as a result.</p><p>Southern China was hit the previous weekend by two typhoons in quick succession -- Saola and Haikui -- though Hong Kong avoided a feared direct hit.</p><p>Tens of millions of people in the densely populated coastal areas of southern China had sheltered indoors ahead of the storms.</p><p>Climate change has increased the intensity of tropical storms, with more rain and stronger gusts leading to flash floods and coastal damage, experts say.</p><p>hol/md</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NpzM6wIxDD0?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Record rainfall in Hong Kong caused widespread flooding in the early hours of Friday, disrupting road and rail traffic just days after the city dodged major damage from a super typhoon.