|
| People (back R) are sprayed by water from a crashing wave as they stand next to a coastal barrier as Typhoon Haima approaches Hong Kong on October 21, 2016, during a typhoon signal eight warning. ( Anthony Wallace / AFP) |
GUANGZHOU - Typhoon Haima, the 22nd typhoon of the year, made landfall in south China's Guangdong province at Friday noon.
The tropical cyclone, packing maximum winds of 150 to 166 kilometers per hour at its center, landed at the coastal area of Houmen township in Haifeng county of Shanwei city at 12:40 pm according to local meteorological bureau.
Shenzhen's Meteorological Observatory forecast that Haima will land at 2 pm, bringing winds of up to 117 km per hour
Residents have been advised to stay in doors. Safe locations across the city have been set up for anyone who may get caught out.
Haima has already disrupted rail services in Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangxi.
No trains between Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong will run on Friday, according to Guangzhou Railway (Group) Corp.
A total of 85 trains, mainly plying the Jiangxi and Fujian route, have been ordered to stop services between Thursday and Saturday, Nanchang Railway Bureau of Jiangxi said Thursday.
Railway authorities in Guangxi also canceled 20 trains to major cities in Guangdong, on Thursday and Friday.
In addition, Shenzhen airport canceled 76 flights over the past two days. All ferry services between Shenzhen and Hong Kong airport scheduled to depart after 11:30 am Thursday were canceled.
The Guandong flood control authorities predicted that the typhoon will wreak havoc and cause grave losses, as its power is similar to typhoon Usagi that killed scores of people in Guangdong in 2013.
