Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, rolled through Hong Kong this weekend. Immediately, WeChat moments, Weibo, and other social media were overtaken by stunning videos of the storm.
Clips circulating show high-rise towers swaying back and forth in the wind, documents being ripped out of office buildings, and people being flung across the ground like dolls. One viral Weibo post from Shenzhen even showed a 100 Hong Kong Dollar bill that had apparently blown over to Mainland China.
Wind speeds reached 107mph, with gust speeds maxing out at 138mph. Miraculously, there haven’t been any fatalities reported. After the storm hit Hong Kong, Mainland China evacuated over three million residents from its southern cities. Videos captured on smartphones show the full extent of the storm’s strength, with many of the most widely-shared videos having been gathered in a Twitter thread by @jenzhuscott:
Someone’s apartment in the east side of HK pic.twitter.com/2LaVZm2RX1
— Jen Zhu (@jenzhuscott) September 16, 2018
When the warning says stay inside, stay inside. #TyphoonManghkut #HK pic.twitter.com/figSqRhuMq
— Jen Zhu (@jenzhuscott) September 16, 2018
An office tower in Hung Hom. As I’m posting my own building is moving. The storm is screaming outside. I’m never this terrified. Hope everyone stay safe. ?? #TyphoonManghkut #HK pic.twitter.com/fHkFpoqScD
— Jen Zhu (@jenzhuscott) September 16, 2018
For a list of donation links to help homeless people in Hong Kong (updated in the wake of Typhoon Mangkhut) click here.
As the storm has hit Mainland China, so the videos have kept coming:
https://twitter.com/mbrennanchina/status/1041289700512694274
https://twitter.com/mbrennanchina/status/1041292222174420993
Although apparently not everyone has let the storm interrupt their day:
Mahjong gangsters. $100 says these guys are from Sichuan ? pic.twitter.com/guXUAAZXGb
— Matthew Brennan (@mbrennanchina) September 16, 2018
Seriously though, with Florence battering the US and Mangkhut hitting southern China, wherever you are if you’re being affected by a major weather event right now we hope you’re staying safe.
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