Hong Kong schools shut, flights cancelled as super typhoon Saola approaches

Schools were closed and flights were cancelled early Friday morning as Hong Kong issued its third-highest storm warning in anticipation of Typhoon Saola

Hong Kong: Schools in Hong Kong have been shut and flights have been cancelled as super typhoon Saola approaches. It is forecast to hit the city later in the day and could be the worst storm to hit the city in five years, reported CNN.

Schools were closed and flights were cancelled early Friday morning as Hong Kong issued its third-highest storm warning in anticipation of Typhoon Saola, which is due to hit the city later in the day and could be the city’s worst storm in five years.

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Saola lost super typhoon status when winds reduced from 240 kilometres per hour (150 miles per hour) to 220 kilometres per hour (140 miles per hour), although it is still the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.

Previously, the storm hit portions of the northern Philippines.

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has issued a warning that the storm will continue to bring heavy rains, severe winds, and storm surges with rising waters in low-lying coastal areas, CNN reported.

As Saola approached Guangdong, China issued a typhoon red warning, the highest level in a four-tier alert system. On Friday, Shenzhen, a high-tech metropolis bordering Hong Kong, will cease all schools, work, enterprises, markets, and transportation. Its international airport has suspended all flights beginning Friday at noon.

The city, which has a population of more than 13 million people and is known as China’s Silicon Valley, has urged inhabitants to stay put and opened emergency shelters for anyone in need.

Several regions of China have suspended manufacturing, business, and public transport. In addition, they also postponed the first day of school.

Another typhoon, Kirogi, was seen approaching from the northwestern Pacific Ocean at 8 a.m. (local time) on Thursday. Considering the typhoon situation, several regions have taken precautions including postponing the first day of school and suspending production, business and transportation to reduce the potential risks.

China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has sent working groups to Fujian and Guangdong to carry out relevant work for typhoon prevention, Global Times reported.