Typhoon Haima churns toward China after lashing Philippines
Typhoon Haima churned toward southern China on October 21 after smashing into the northern Philippines with ferocious wind and rain, triggering flooding, landslides and power outages and killing seven people. China suspended rail services in several provinces on the mainland’s south, where the typhoon is expected to make landfall in the afternoon. In the city of Shenzhen, authorities ordered schools, markets and factories to close, halted public transportation and evacuated some areas. Hong Kong hunkered down as Haima lashed the financial hub with rain and wind gusts of up to 96 kilometers an hour. Schools and offices were shut and trading on the stock market suspended after the third most serious storm signal was hoisted, leaving an eerie calm in the streets of the normally bustling city. Nearly 700 flights to and from the city’s international airport were canceled or delayed. By late morning, the storm was about 130 kilometers east of the city.
