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What I learned from Hong Kong typhoon
When Hong Kong was hit by a level-10 typhoon in mid-September, I was looking out of my window anticipating what would happen next.
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A woman walks along a ruined cycling path destroyed by Typhoon Mangkhut in Tseung Kwan O district in Hong Kong on September 17, 2018. Hong Kong began a massive clean-up September 17 after Typhoon Mangkhut raked the city, shredding trees and bringing damaging floods in a trail of destruction that left dozens dead in the Philippines and millions evacuated in southern China. (AFP/Philip Wong)
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hen Hong Kong was hit by a level-10 typhoon in mid-September, I was looking out of my window anticipating what would happen next. Across from my apartment were residential buildings. Most of their windows were plastered with white tape to protect glass breaking from the heavy wind. True enough, when the typhoon gradually reached my location, slowly but surely heavy wind and rain mercilessly hit every corner. I thought the window would fall out, as it was shaking hard, making a very loud noise. Luckily, after several hours, the typhoon passed by, and the window was still intact.
Not everyone was as lucky as me. Many Hongkongers suffered from the biggest typhoon to hit the country, at least in the past 30 years. Almost 50,000 trees were uprooted, some areas were flooded, several buildings were damaged, and the roof of my friend’s house flew down onto their neighbor’s car. Almost 900 flights were delayed or canceled and public transportation paralyzed. But the best part is, we learned of no human casualties, and the next day, offices, businesses, public services were all back to normal, although some stations of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) suffered a chaotic start to the week, with thousands of passengers waiting to get into trains.
Hong Kong people see typhoons as part of a natural phenomenon in their lives. Every year a typhoon occurs between May and August, but this 2018 Mangkhut (mangosteen) typhoon, as it is otherwise known, was special, as it was regarded the strongest to strike Hong Kong in decades.
The country has survived every typhoon. This latest typhoon intrigued me to understand how the government and people prepare themselves.
