Typhoon Batters Southern China Killing At Least Four

(Photo taken by Mia)

Today,the clear and boundless sky is as blue as the calm sea in Changzhou, Jiangsu while a powerful typhoon is causing chaos in southern China, leaving at least four people dead.

• Typhoon Hato made landfall around noon on Wednesday in Zhuhai with gusts of up to 129 mph

• Thousands of people were evacuated and hundreds of flights were cancelled as authority issued red warning

• In Hong Kong, businesses, government offices, schools and the stock market were forced to close today 

• Social media footage shows devastating destruction as at least four deaths have been reported

Terrifying video clips have emerged on social media showing the devastating destruction brought by Typhoon Hato in populous cities like Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Zhuhai on the Chinese coast.

Footage shows high winds, with gusts of up to 207 kph (129 mph), blowing pedestrians off their feet, overturning vans, ripping roofs off buildings and destroying construction cranes on top of high-rises. Buildings are blown around like toys and huge waves crash straight into people's homes as monster.

People walk in the rainstorm caused by Typhoon Hato on August 23, 2017 in Hong Kong. The powerful typhoon is causing chaos in southern China today. Video footage shows pedestrians in Hong Kong and Zhuhai being blown of their feet

A collapsed wooden wall caused by Typhoon Hato sit on a street in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The powerful typhoon barrelled into Hong Kong today, forcing businesses, government offices, schools and the stock market to close

Waves triggered by Typhoon Hato are seen in Hong Kong. The storm has left flooded streets, shattered windows and hundreds of cancelled flights in its wake in the coastal region in southern China.

Huge wave caused by typhoon Hato hits a dock in Shenzhen city, south China's Guangdong province. China's weather service said the storm made landfall at around noon on Wednesday in the Pearl River Delta city of Zhuhai

A Chinese commuter struggles with his umbrella in heavy rain and strong wind caused by Typhoon Hato in Shenzhen today

A tree is uprooted by strong wind caused by typhoon Hato on a road in Shenzhen on Wednesday. More than 4,000 people had been evacuated by Tuesday from parts of the mainland coast ahead of the storm's arrival, according to Xinhua News Agency

A broken branch falls on a car after Typhoon Hato lands on August 23, 2017 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province of China

On Tuesday, China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) issued a red alert for ocean waves in sea areas off the coast of Guangdong. Red is the highest level in China's four tier system for disastrous weather.

More than 4,000 people had been evacuated by Tuesday from parts of the mainland coast ahead of the storm's arrival, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Train services were cancelled, fishing boats returned to harbour and more than 4,000 fish farmers and their families came to shore, Xinhua said. Waves up to 10 metres (33 feet) high were expected in the South China Sea, the agency said

Hato knocked out power in Macau, including at its famed casinos and a hospital, where backup generators kicked in.

Flooding and injuries were reported in Hong Kong, which lies across the water 64 kilometres (40 miles) from Macau, but there were no reports of deaths.

Hato's fierce gales brought down trees, overturned trash cans and blew out windows on skyscrapers, raining shattered glass onto the streets below.

Weather authorities in Hong Kong raised the No. 10 hurricane signal, the highest level, for the first time in five years.

The observatory warned residents to be prepared for destructive winds, possible flooding and landslips, and advised people to stay away from low-lying areas because storm surges could cause severe flooding. Streets and village laneways in areas near the sea were submerged by waves crashing ashore, according to local TV news footage.

Source:xinhua news, mailonline