Schools, subways disrupted as storm batters China’s south
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Rescue workers evacuating flood-affected residents in Minhou county, Fuzhou city, in Fujian province on Sept 5, after heavy rain brought by Typhoon Haikui.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING - All schools, some subway stations and some offices in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen were shut down on Friday, as residual storm clouds from Typhoon Haikui
The China Meteorological Administration said heavy rain would continue to fall until early Saturday on the central and south-western areas of Guangdong province, which is home to Shenzhen and one of China’s wealthiest provinces.
Videos from Xinhua News Agency showed residents holding on to safety lines and wading cautiously through knee-deep flood waters late on Thursday in Shenzhen, a metropolis of 17.7 million people.
The videos also showed rescuers as they cordoned off overflowing manholes, carried a child from a stranded vehicle and guided motorcyclists through the murky waters.
A rainfall log showed that 465.5mm of rain fell in Shenzhen over a 12-hour period, the highest since records began in 1952.
Daily rainfall in the city, which is located in the Pearl River Delta linking Hong Kong to China’s mainland, was expected to exceed 500mm, the Shenzhen media said.
Typhoon Haikui made landfall in south-eastern Fujian province
Still, Shenzhen’s observatory has issued emergency warnings advising residents to stay indoors, warning that downpours could be abrupt and intense.
Some Shenzhen districts ordered offices to close and suspended classes in all schools. Several subway stations also halted their operations.
Shenzhen Reservoir’s waters reached its limits early on Friday, which prompted the authorities to begin discharging water. They also warned residents downstream in Futian and Luohu districts to keep away from rivers.
Flood damage caused the authorities to suspend services at Liantang Port and Wenjindu Port that connect Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Food supplies, passengers and trucks were diverted to other ports.
About 130km from Shenzhen, schools in 10 districts of Guangzhou city opened later or were suspended for the day, while Zhuhai city warned of waterlogging in urban and rural areas, and potential landslides. REUTERS
