Typhoon Kai-tak (2012)

On August 15, The Hong Kong Observatory issued the Standby Signal, No. 1 warning regarding Kai-tak as an advisory to the public to closely follow weather reports before flying.[27] The next day, the observatory hoisted the Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 for strong wind, as the storm came within 500 km of the region. At 22:15 the Typhoon signal Number 8 was issued which means winds speeds from 63–117 km/h were expected in Hong Kong. At 6:20AM the typhoon signal was lowered to Signal number 3 as Kai-Tak was moving away from Hong Kong. Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific also announced that they will be temporarily suspending services to the region due to the typhoon. Hong Kong International Airport had some flight cancellations during Typhoon Kai-Tak.[28]

On August 15, The national disaster relief authority of China issued a fourth-level alert, predicting that the storm may hit the coastal areas of the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. Warnings have been issued to the Pearl River Delta forecasting rainfalls up to 400 millimetres (16 in). The agency asked all ships to return to port, reinforce outdoor structures, and evacuate workers from offshore oil platforms.[29]

On August 16, The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control stated that preparations need to be made regarding the approaching storm. The committee asked all boats at sea to remain well informed about the storm. They predicted winds of up to 75 kilometres per hour (47 mph).[30]

Tropical Storm Kai-tak affecting Luzon on August 15

Early on August 16, Tropical Storm Kai-Tak slammed the northern Philippines triggering flash floods and landslides and killing at least three people, one week after deadly monsoon rains battered the country, disaster relief officials said. Twenty northern provinces had been placed under storm warnings before the storm hit. The Office of Civil Defence said one man drowned when he suffered a seizure and fell into a flooded rice field in the province of Pangasinan and another drowned while crossing a swollen river on Tuesday in Ilocos Norte province. Another man died from electrocution in Naguilian town in nearby La Union province, said Superintendent Jovencio Badua, a regional police spokesman. At least 3,555 people were evacuated from their homes in La Union and Pangasinan because of flash floods while several highways were cut off because of landslides, Badua said.[31] By that night, the storm left behind ten dead in the Philippines. Economic loss across the nation reached PHP125 million (US$2.96 million). The storm blew out of the Philippines offering some relief for millions of people struggling to recover from a few weeks of monsoon rains that earlier claimed 109 lives. But more than the death toll, a foreign organisation warned the floods posed a continuing and major problem to the three million people who were displaced from their homes, almost one million of whom had sought refuge in temporary evacuation centres. The NDRRMC said it was still providing relief aid to nearly a million people impacted by last week's floods, including more than 216,000 at evacuation centres. “The need is massive and urgent, millions of people are suffering the miserable consequence of these floods and we must try to reach them before the rains hit again,” Anna Liendfors, the country representative of Save the Children appealed. At the same time, weathermen warned residents living in low-lying and mountainous areas against possible landslides and flash flood due rains ranging from heavy to intense. In Pampanga, the home province of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Central Luzon, officials ordered the pre-emptive evacuation of residents in villages along one of the major river systems.[32]

At about 12:30 am on August 17, Kai-tak made landfall at Huguang township in Guangdong province, bringing extreme downpours and gales. Off the eastern Zhanjiang coast, the violent weather triggered waves as high as four metres. In Zhanjiang city, trees and billboards could be seen scattered along the roads while most of the shops and restaurants remained closed. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at an airport in Beihai city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, after 16 flights linking Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, and Changsha areas were cancelled. Sources from the Maritime Search and Rescue Center of Qinzhou city said, six people were still trapped after their ship was marooned in Qinzhou Port, Thursday evening. Helicopter, tugs and patrol boats were dispatched to the site for rescuing the trapped people, said the city authorities. According to fishery departments of the coastal cities of Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangchenggang, as of 1 p.m., more than 10,000 fishing boats had been called back to harbours for shelter, and over 40,000 fishermen and seafood farmers have gone ashore to avoid heavy rains, gales and waves. Elsewhere, the typhoon also led to delay and cancellation of 14 incoming flights and seven outgoing flights in Meilan International Airport, in Haikou, capital of the Hainan province. Also, in Hainan, where the heavy rains lashed, 23 flights had been cancelled and 18 others delayed at the Sanya Phoenix International Airport in Sanya City at 10:30 a.m., leaving 3,000 passengers helpless. Officials supervising flood control and drought relief efforts said relief materials and rescue personnel were fully prepared to mitigate the impact of Kai-Tak.[33] In addition to airports, railways were affected. A total of 16 high-speed trains linking Sanya and Haikou were suspended. In Haikou, there were reportedly few pedestrians spotted in the city, where slow-moving cars were seen clogging the rain-hit roads. Officials supervising flood control and drought relief efforts said relief materials and rescue personnel were fully prepared to mitigate the impact of Kai-Tak.[34]

As of August 18, more than 700 villagers in Qinzhou, a city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have been trapped in their homes by typhoon-triggered flooding, the local government said. In Qinzhou, heavy rains have swept the city inundating three villages in Dazhi Township, Qinbei District. The local government sent rescue boats and relief materials to the trapped villagers. Two people remained missing after falling into a river in Shangsi County. More than 300 police officers and firefighters have been organized and dispatched to carry out relief efforts across the city, the flood control and drought relief bureau said.[35] In South China, 4 people were killed, and total economic losses were counted to be CNY 4.85 billion (US$762 million).[36] It also affected 1.74 million people in nearby Guangdong province before moving to Guangxi. An oil ship anchored near Beihai, a coastal city in Guangxi, drifted and collided into the bank, spilling five tonnes of oil. The local government initiated an emergency response plan and sent a work team to clean up the spill and cordon off the contaminated area to prevent the pool from expanding. Clean up efforts have ended and marine authorities have taken samples of the sea water to test the pollution level around the location of the accident, the report said.[37]

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, Typhoon Kai-Tak has stormed across the country's north bringing high winds and floods to several areas including the capital Hanoi. Among the victims was a taxi driver who was killed when a tree fell on his car in Hanoi, while two others died from electric shock after a cable fell in northern Son La city. Another victim died in a landslide. Earlier more than 11,000 boats, including several hundred used by tourists at Halong Bay, were ordered to stay close to the shore. The Vietnamese army put 20,000 soldiers backed by helicopters, rescue boats and canoes on standby to handle any incidents.[38]