Schools, businesses and transport services were shut after Typhoon Nida swept across Hong Kong on Tuesday in a wave of strong winds and torrential rain.
As a result of the storm, the city of Guangzhou issued its first-ever red storm alert while Hong Kong braced for flooding and landslides while the bamboo scaffolding that is the hallmark of construction sites in the city hung in tatters around some buildings.
Those living in the storm’s projected path on the mainland were told by the the National Commission for Disaster Reduction to stock three days’ worth of food and other essentials in their homes, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The Typhoon was expected to lash the manufacturing center of the Guangdong province and gradually weaken as it moved into the neighboring Guangxi region.
More than 150 flights were cancelled, the Airport Authority said, with Cathay Pacific and Dragon air warning none of their flights would be operating until 2 pm (1600 AEST) at the earliest. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at the airport and around 325 flights are expected to be rescheduled.
“I came here at 6 am but the counters have closed… there have been no notifications at all,” one passenger said.
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