Flooding : Hong Kong, Southern China In Trouble

Hong Kong and southern Chinese cities are battling widespread flooding as the region endures some of its heaviest rainfall on record.

On Friday, streets and subway stations were underwater in Hong Kong as officials shut schools and workplaces.

The BBC quoted the weather bureau as saying the downpour, which began on Thursday, is the biggest to hit the city in nearly 140 years.

Emergency services said more than 100 people had been taken to hospital and several rescues had taken place.

Videos on social media showed people climbing on to cars and other elevated platforms to escape the waters, which have risen several metres-high in some areas, blocking off subway entrances.

The city’s cross harbor tunnel, a key route connecting the main island to the Kowloon peninsula in its north, was inundated. The rain also triggered landslides in Hong Kong’s mountainous areas – blocking some highways.

By Friday afternoon, the downpours had somewhat eased with authorities downgrading the rainstorm from a “black” warning to an “amber” alert. But they warned showers were expected to persist until Saturday.

The latest downpour comes less than a week after two typhoons, Saola and Haikui, hit southern China in quick succession – and sparked a citywide shutdown in Hong Kong.
BBC