Thousands evacuated as Typhoon Hato lands in Southern China

World Today

A man is splashed by the swell from Victoria Harbour during heavy winds and rain brought on by Typhoon Hato in Hong Kong on August 23, 2017. Typhoon Hato smashed into Hong Kong on August 23 with hurricane force winds and heavy rains in the worst storm the city has seen for five years, shutting down the stock market and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights. / AFP PHOTO / Anthony WALLACE

Typhoon Hato has paralyzed China’s coastal gaming and financial centers. The powerful storm is now moving inward. It’s left five dead in the Macao Region, two missing and more than 150 injured.

So far there have been no fatalities in Hong Kong, but more than 120 people in the region have been injured. Billions of dollars in damage has been done.

CGTN’s He Weiwei reports from one of the worst-hit cities of Jiangmen.

Hato is the most powerful typhoon to hit China so far this year. Due to safety concern, people need to go indoors, and look for shelter. 

For the next two hours after Hato’s landing in Jiangmen, it rained more heavily. Trees were uprooted, buildings were damaged and billboards were blown away. Many locals didn’t expect such bad weather.

The heavy rain caused water logging in many areas. As the  typhoon moved out of the region, many locals came out to clean up the streets.