Second storm hits Hong Kong and Macau amid typhoon recovery

Pic Courtesy: Reuters

Hong Kong: A powerful storm lashed Hong Kong and Macau on Sunday, just days after a punishing typhoon swept through southern China and claimed at least 18 lives.

Both cities raised a Typhoon 8 signal — the third-highest warning level — early Sunday morning as severe tropical storm "Pakhar" made landfall in the region, where emergency workers were still battling to repair Wednesday`s damage.

Around 300 flights were cancelled or delayed Sunday, a spokesperson from Hong Kong`s Airport Authority said. Cathay Pacific, the city`s flagship carrier, said "cancellations and significant delays" were expected to continue into Monday.

All ferry services in Hong Kong were suspended. Dozens of trees weakened by Wednesday`s typhoon were brought down in the latest storm. 

Pakhar brought winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour to Hong Kong. The Typhoon 8 storm warning level would typically shut down Hong Kong`s stock market, schools and businesses. 

In Macau, authorities issue fresh flooding alerts as shops that were battered Wednesday remained closed on Sunday morning, and traffic lights stayed blacked out after Hato wiped out power in the city.

"This is tough, but there is nothing we can do," said Leung Chin-pang, the owner of a maintenance shop, who has been left without water supply since the first storm hit.

Pakhar — named after a freshwater fish in the lower Mekong river — smashed into southern China as worst-hit Macau was still picking up the pieces after Typhoon Hato, the city`s strongest typhoon in 53 years according to the city government.

Hato, which triggered the most severe Typhoon 10 warning, had ripped through the gambling hub Wednesday, plunging casinos into darkness and causing destructive floods.

The official death toll in Macau reached 10, as the enclave`s government faces recriminations over its lack of preparation.

Dozens of visitors had returned to the main tourist attraction of Senado Square in Macau Sunday.

Streets appeared cleaner after local residents of all ages and around 1,000 troops from the People`s Liberation Army (PLA) Macau garrison worked to clear piles of debris blocking the streets.

Four Hong Kong journalists covering the impact of the typhoon were barred entry into Macau Saturday on the ground that they "threatened the stability of internal security", according to the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

The group expressed "deep regret" over the incident and urged Macau`s authorities to respect press freedom in a statement Saturday.

A further eight people are known to have died from Typhoon Hato in the Chinese province of Guangdong, which Pakhar also reached mid-morning Sunday.

Summer is typhoon season for the region including Hong Kong, which can experience storms of such severity that the entire city shuts down.

Both Hong Kong and Macau are expected to lower the typhoon warning signal to the second lowest level in the early afternoon of Sunday, the cities` weather forecast agencies said.