Hong Kong Stock Exchange Open Delayed Due To Typhoon
As Typhoon Usagi bears down on Hong Kong, the Securities and Derivatives Exchange that the morning sessions of both markets will be delayed. If the Typhoon remains a Level 8 of above past 9am (HK time), the morning session will be cancelled and all trading cancelled if the Usagi holds Level 8 or above beyond midday local time. The Hong Kong Obervatory currently has the Typhoon a Level 8.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) announced that the morning trading sessions of both the securities and derivatives markets have been delayed due to the issuance of Typhoon Signal No. 8.If Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above remains issued at 9:00 am, the morning trading sessions for all markets will be cancelled.If Typhoon Signal No. 8 signal or above is cancelled at or before 12:00 noon, major products of HKEx’s securities and derivatives markets will resume trading in the afternoon. Trading will begin on the first half hour at least two hours after the discontinuation of the Typhoon Signal No. 8.If Typhoon Signal No. 8 signal or above remains issued at 12:00 noon, all trading sessions today will be cancelled.HKEx will make a further announcement in due course.
http://news.yahoo.com/typhoon-veers-hong-kong-hits-southern-china-134244117.html
HONG KONG (AP) — The year's most powerful typhoon slammed into southern China on Sunday evening, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations, shutting down shipping and putting a nuclear power plant on alert after pummeling parts of the Philippines and Taiwan with heavy rains and fierce winds.
Typhoon Usagi veered away from Hong Kong at the last minute and made landfall northeast of the former British colony. Forecasters had warned earlier that it posed a "severe threat" to the southern Chinese city.
Usagi — Japanese for rabbit — was classified as a severe typhoon, packing sustained winds of 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour, with gusts of up to 213 kph (132 mph).
The storm was downgraded from a super typhoon on Saturday — with its sustained winds falling below 241 kilometers (150 miles) per hour — as it passed through the Luzon Strait separating the Philippines and Taiwan, likely sparing residents in both places from the most destructive winds near its eye.
In the Philippines, Usagi left at least two people dead and two others missing, while in Taiwan nine people were hurt by falling trees on Kinmen island off China's coast.
The typhoon landed near the city of Shanwei in the Chinese province of Guangdong, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) northeast of Hong Kong, and was moving west-northwest at 22 kph (14 mph), the Hong Kong Observatory said. It was expected to skirt about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Hong Kong overnight.
Ferry services between Hong Kong and nearby Macau and outlying islands were suspended as the observatory raised the No. 8 storm warning signal, the third highest on a five-point scale. It reported winds as strong as 68 kph (42 mph) and warned that a storm surge and heavy rains could cause flooding in low-lying areas.
Police in Shanwei ordered more than 8,000 fishing boats to return to port and more than 1,200 residents were taken to temporary shelters, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.
The typhoon wreaked havoc on airport schedules in Hong Kong, nearby Macau and mainland China, upsetting travel plans for many passengers who were returning home at the end of the three-day mid-autumn festival long weekend.
Hong Kong International Airport said 370 arriving and departing flights were canceled and another 64 delayed. Two of Hong Kong's biggest airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair, canceled flights to and from the city's airport starting at 6 p.m. Sunday, with plans to resume operations Monday if conditions permit.
Beijing-based Air China scrubbed 148 flights to and from Hong Kong, Macau and five nearby mainland cities. China Southern Airlines, based in Guangzhou, canceled all flights to and from Hong Kong and three mainland airports, Xinhua said.
Fujian province suspended shipping between mainland China and Taiwan, the news agency said.
Authorities in Guangdong initiated an emergency response plan for the Daya Bay nuclear power station northeast of Hong Kong as Usagi approached, ordering four of six reactors to operate at a reduced load, Xinhua said.
In Taiwan, more than 3,300 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas and mountainous regions. The storm also caused a landslide that buried a rail line on Taiwan's southeast coast, but rail services were restored by Sunday morning.
Another landslide late Saturday in the southeastern hot springs resort village of Chihpen sent mud and rocks crashing through the ground floor of a resort spa, forcing the evacuation of frightened guests. The Chihpen River breached its levies upriver, turning the village's main street into a rock-strewn stream, flooding homes and damaging vehicles.
In the Philippines, a 50-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman drowned when a passenger boat capsized in rough waters off northeastern Aurora province, the Office of Civil Defense said Saturday. Two other people were missing in the incident, while the remaining nine passengers and crew were rescued.
The typhoon set off landslides, flooded parts of six Philippine provinces and affected nearly 20,000 people, but disaster-response officials did not immediately report additional casualties.
Hong Kong Braces For Worst Storm In 34 Years As Typhoon Usagi Approaches, "Astronomical" Storm Surge Forecast
One year ago New York had Superstorm Sandy. Now, with Typhoon Usagi closing in, Hong Kong is bracing for impact as the strongest storm in 34 years is set to hit the financial hub head on. As Severe Typhoon Usagi bore down on the city, the Hong Kong observatory issued a "severe threat'' warning. It hoisted the No 3 typhoon signal at 11.40pm yesterday and warned people in low-lying areas to take special precautions. “The water level may rise and cause flooding in the evening,” said Sandy Song Man-kuen, the observatory’s senior scientific officer. This happened as the Observatory issued a No 8 storm signal for Usagi. The Hong Kong Observatory said that Usagi would make landfall to the east of Hong Kong and will skirt the territory at around 100km or less to the north later tonight and early tomorrow morning.
Anyone familiar with the flooding accompanying Superstorm Sandy will be aware of the biggest threat poised by the typhoon: storm surge which can flood all low-level areas, not to mention a gradual infrastructure cut off of Hong Kong from the rest of the world as all transit services are temporarily cut off.
Observatory senior scientific officer Mok Hing-yim warned of "astronomical" high tides and a storm surge.Mok said that if the typhoon signal No 8 was issued, Usagi would be the strongest typhoon to hit Hong Kong since Typhoon Hope in 1979, which killed 12 people and injured 260.
A storm surge induced by Usagi may still lead to flooding in low-lying areas tomorrow morning. The Observatory said the public should be on the alert and take precautions against strong winds and flooding as early as possible.
China's National Meteorological Centre has said that Usagi is likely to land tonight somewhere between Huilai and Huidong on Guangdong's eastern coast, only 50km east of Hong Kong.The Airport Authority said 166 arriving and 187 departing flights had been cancelled so far, while 42 arrivals and 25 departures had been delayed. Flight operations may be affected today and tomorrow, and passengers are advised to contact their airlines for the latest flight information.Other transport services have also been affected. The New World First Ferry said the last inter-island services would depart from 2.50pm onwards, but added that it may have to suspend services before the typhoon signal No 8 was hoisted.The Star Ferry said services connecting Central and Wanchai to Tsim Sha Tsui would be suspended within one hour after the signal No 8 was hoisted.According to Cotai Jet, services going to and from Macau would be gradually suspended in the afternoon, but would be cut-off pending the signal No 8.The Hong Kong Jockey Club cancelled today's race meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse and said it planned to reschedule for Wednesday October 30, subject to government approval.
Airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Dragonair have already cancelled all flights in and out of Hong Kong.
Some observers on Twitter have already noticed the massive swell in ocean readings:
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