Days after deadly Typhoon Hato, Hong Kong and Macau hit by storm Pakhar

Hato devastated Macau killing at least 10 people, injuring 244 and exposing critical infrastructure flaws after it left the city without water and power for days.

Tropical storm Pakhar brought strong winds and heavy rain to Hong Kong and Macau on Sunday, just four days after one of the strongest typhoons on record, Hato, caused serious flooding and damage in the territories and killed at least 10 people in the gaming hub.

A woman stands in a convenience store as they cleanup in the aftermath of Typhoon Hato and prepare for tropical storm Pakhar with taped-up windows in Macau on August 26, 2017.(AFP)

Both cities issued their third-highest weather warnings, storm signal No. 8, early on Sunday as winds intensified and heavy rain lashed down, churning up rough seas and prompting alerts of serious flooding in low-lying areas.

Hong Kong’s weather observatory said winds occasionally reached storm force in the southern part of the territory and hurricane force on high ground on Lantau Island to the west of the city where the airport is situated.

Pakhar’s arrival comes as the cities are still reeling from Hato. While Hong Kong escaped major damage, Hato devastated Macau, the world’s largest gambling hub, killing at least 10 people, injuring 244 and exposing critical infrastructure flaws after it left the city without water and power for days.

“Pakhar will land to the west of the Pearl River Estuary in the next few hours,” said the Hong Kong Observatory, the territory’s weather forecasting agency.

A storm batters a street in Macau during Typhoon Hato, in this still image taken from social media video obtained by Reuters August 24, 2017. (Deo Carmel Viste/via REUTERS )

The maximum sustained winds recorded at Ngong Ping, Cheung Chau and Chek Lap Kok were 140, 114 and 76 kilometers per hour (87, 71 and 47 miles per hour) respectively, with maximum gusts 173, 136 and 101 kmh.

Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific, said the storm would cause delays and cancellations to flights arriving and departing on Sunday and Monday. Local media said 140 flights had been canceled as of 6 a.m. local time (2200 GMT on Sunday).

Other transport services including ferries to Macau and outlying islands in Hong Kong were suspended.

In Macau, the storm will pose a major setback to clean-up efforts that saw Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops deployed to help remove mountains of stinking debris strewn across some heavily flooded districts battered by Hato.

Power has been restored in the territory but some areas still lacked water supply as of Saturday evening, the Macau Government Information Bureau said on its official website.

This picture taken in Macau on August 24, 2017 shows the Venetian Macau resort at night, the day after Typhoon Hato hit the territory. (AFP)

The government said the city still faced a severe challenge in removing huge piles of waste from the streets, with 2,600 tonnes of debris collected on Saturday alone. Shower facilities and changing rooms at four public swimming pools have been opened to accommodate residents with no water facilities.

A tree that was uprooted by strong winds from Typhoon Hato is seen in Macau, China August 24, 2017. (REUTERS)

Four Hong Kong journalists were denied entry to Macau on Saturday to cover the storms and relief effort on grounds they “posed a risk to the stability of internal security,” according to reports from the media companies they represented.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association expressed “deep regret” over the incident and urged Macau to respect press freedom. Police chief Ma Io-kun told a press conference on Saturday he was not aware of the case, but said the government respects press freedom “very much.”