The heavy rain came as a surprise for the city’s residents.
Hong Kong was hit by Typhoon Saola earlier this month, but despite more severe warnings from weather officials the city was not submerged.
Because people were unprepared for the rainstorm, some tourists were trapped in the city.
“When can I go home?” a user posted on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese equivalent of Instagram. “Metro stations and crossings have become oceans.”
The city’s leader, John Lee, said on his Facebook page that Hong Kong was experiencing a “once-in-a-century rainstorm,” and the “extreme situation” had disrupted many districts, warning the public to stay in a safe place.
The government closed all schools on Friday, saying that the extreme flooding would continue through Friday, even as the rain eased.
The stock exchange in the global financial hub also didn’t open due to the extreme situation.
Hong Kong’s neighboring mainland city, Shenzhen, was also deluged. The rainfall in the city broke multiple records, including maximum rainfall records over two hours, three hours, etc. These records were set in 1952.
All schools and some offices were also shut in Shenzhen, while many districts in the surrounding Guangdong province were similarly disrupted.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
