Hongkong's Heaviest Rainfall Kills 2; Evacuates 11,000 In Mainland

At least two individuals were killed following the heaviest rains that deluged Hongkong in the past days.

The extreme weather also wounded a hundred of individuals and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents from their homes.

(Photo : Getty Images/Bertha Wang)

Weather forecast

According to the Hongkong Observatory, a rough of low pressure is bringing showers to the coast of Guangdong and the northern part of the South China Sea.

Weather forecasters said that cloudy with showers and a few squally thunderstorms are expected. Squally showers are those that are accompanied by brief but sudden strong or gale force winds.

Meanwhile, it is also forecasted that showers would be heavy at times while the maximum temperature will be around 28 degrees.

On the other hand, moderate to fresh southeasterly winds are also expected, with occasionally strong offshore and on high ground at first.

Showers are seen to ease off and the weather will improve slightly in the next couple of days. However, the weather will be unsettled in the latter part of this week.

Meteorologists said that the broad trough of low pressure is expected to bring unsettled weather to the coastal areas of southern China in the later part of this week.

Effects of heavy rains

Due to the bad weather, authorities in Hongkong and the mainland city of Shenzhen were forced to shutdown schools and required nonessential workers to stay and work from their homes.

TheHongkong's Labor Department (LD) also reminded employers and contractors that they should adopt the necessary work arrangements and take suitable safety measures that will protect the safety of their employees, especially when they are carrying out electrical work or handling electrical plant.

The department stressed that employers and contractors should avoid assigning employees to carry out electrical work, like electric arc welding work, or handle electrical plant at places affected by rainstorms.

They should also should refer to the "Code of Practice in times of Typhoons and Rainstorms" and the "Guide on Safety at Work in times of Inclement Weather" issued by the department.

Meanwhile, most of the bus operations in Hongkong were also suspended.

Data showed that more than 11,000 individuals were evacuated in the mainland, including those from the water-logged areas in Meizhou, a city that is located in Guangdong province.

Further, operations of trains as well as the flights were suspended in Guangdong as several landslides also blocked the roads.

The Government of the Hongkong Special Administrative Region said members of the public are advised to report any street flooding that comes to their notice to the Drainage Services Department by calling the 24-hour drainage hotline on 2300 1110.

The offices under the Development Bureau (DEVB) are advised to continue carry out relief work and follow up with every effort on the impacts brought by the extreme conditions, with the aim to enable the community to resume normal operations at the soonest possible time.

To further ensure public safety, the DEVB also directed relevant departments to launch special inspections exercise to identify slopes, trees and structures with potential risk after the torrential rains.

So far, the Drainage Services Department (DSD) already received 60 confirmed cases of flooding, all of which have been eliminated and the affected areas reopened.

Authorities will continue to inspect and clean up drainage and river channels to ensure smooth operation of drainage systems.

To recall, Hongkong's weather bureau issued its highest "black" rainstorm warning early on Friday as more than 200mm (7.9ins) of rain was recorded across the main island, the Kowloon district and the northeastern part of the city's New Territories.

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