In Pictures: Hong Kong sees floods, flights cancelled as Typhoon Wipha prompts T10 signal

HKFP

10 hours ago

Hong Kong saw floods, cancelled flights and at least 30 people seeking medical attention as storm Wipha prompted a typhoon 10 signal on Sunday.
The Observatory hoisted the T10 signal, the city's highest storm warning, from 9:20 am until 4:10 pm on Sunday. The red rainstorm was also in force in the afternoon.
Sunday was the first time since September 2023, when Super Typhoon Saola hit Hong Kong, that the Observatory has raised a T10 signal.
In North Point, bamboo scaffolding collapsed, while in Kennedy Town, a boat crashed into the China Merchants Wharf pier due to the strong winds.
In Heng Fa Chuen, a residential area known for being a flooding hot spot due to its low-lying geography, crashing waves reached multiple stories high. Some residents went to the promenade to watch the storm come in.
The area did not see any flooding on Sunday.
The government said a total of 33 people sought treatment at public hospitals amid the typhoon.
The Fire Services Department received 425 reports of fallen trees, while the Drainage Services Department recorded seven flooding cases.
It was not until Sunday evening that the wind started to die down and public transportation, including the MTR and ferries, gradually resumed.
Across the harbour in Wong Tai Sin, firefighters tended to a flood on Lung Cheung Road, one of the main thoroughfares in the district.
Workers rushed to unclog the drains as passersby waded through knee-deep water. Wong Tai Sin was also heavily flooded in September 2023 when Hong Kong recorded the highest one-hour rainfall since records began in 1884.
While the T10 signal was in place on Sunday, the MTR Corporation suspended all trains running along overground sections, leaving much of the East Rail Line and Tuen Ma Line affected. The Light Rail service in the New Territories was also halted.
Underground routes continued but at reduced frequencies. Ferries and buses were suspended entirely.
After the storm signal was lowered to T8 on Sunday afternoon, the MTR Corporation said railway lines with longer open sections such as the East Rail Line, Tuen Ma Line, Tung Chung Line and the Airport Express was expected to resume services in two to three hours as workers inspected tracks and cleared fallen trees.
By 6:30 pm, ferries restored their services. By around 8pm, MTR services and buses also resumed.
Local media reported that over 500 flights were cancelled.
The Airport Authority rescheduled around 400 flights and is expected to work overnight to reschedule the remaining 100 flights.
Hong Kong lowered the storm signal to T3 at 7:40 on Sunday as Typhoon Wipha moved away and towards the city of Taishan in Guangdong.