Hong Kong coastal residents face nervous wait to see if lessons learned from past storms stand flooding test of Super Typhoon Saola
- Observatory warns water level spikes from Saola could match those of Super Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, which caused flooding in coastal neighbourhoods
- Areas such as Lei Yue Mun and Heng Fa Chuen were hit hard by Mangkhut, and residents hope new measures, such as barriers, will help this time
Seawater at parts of Lei Yue Mun, a seaside village in east Kowloon known for its seafood restaurants, briefly rose to ground level in the morning. Businesses were closed as shopkeepers made final preparations in anticipation of worsening conditions from Saola.
Ming Kee Seafood, a seafront business on the main village street, lost HK$100,000 (US$12,750) worth of appliances and valuables to knee-high flooding caused by Mangkhut five years ago, according to its owner, who only gave her surname as Ip.
“I have lived in Lei Yue Mun for nearly 80 years, and Mangkhut was the only time that such serious flooding occurred,” said Ip, 85, who lives in a house across the street.
Worried about a similar impact from Saola, she spent the whole of Thursday night moving as many electric appliances above ground as possible. She said she expected another sleepless night keeping an eye on her belongings, but declined the offer of sandbags from authorities.