16:03 02Sep2003 UPDATE 3-Typhoon lashes HK with heavy rain, wind

(Updates throughout)
By Charlie Zhu and Vicki Kwong
HONG KONG, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The most powerful typhoon to batter Hong
Kong in four years lashed the city and other parts of the south China coast
with heavy rain and shrieking wind on Tuesday but no major damage was
reported.
The Hong Kong Observatory briefly raised its typhoon warning signal to
No. 9 -- the second-highest storm alert -- on Tuesday evening, which an
Observatory spokeswoman said indicated winds of 100 km per hour (60 mph)
were expected.
The last time Hong Kong hoisted the No. 9 signal was in 1999 when
Typhoon York hit the territory, killing two people and injuring 500.
But two hours later the signal was lowered to No. 8, indicating gale or
storm force winds of 63-117 km/h are expected and gusts may exceed 180 km/h.
"The chance of the signal going higher now looks pretty low," the
Observatory spokeswoman said.
At 10 p.m. (1400 GMT), Typhoon Dujuan -- which means azalia in
Chinese -- was about 30 km (18 miles) east of Hong Kong, packing torrential
rain and powerful wind. Nervous residents huddled at homes watching
television for weather updates as the storm rattled windows and doors
creaked.
"It is howling like a banshee," said an expatriate from his apartment in
Hong Kong's Central district. "I can actually feel the pressure building on
my ears as the storm gets more intense."
The storm is expected to come closest to Hong Kong at around midnight
(1600 GMT) on Tuesday.
Millions of people in Hong Kong raced home in the afternoon after the
city's government shut schools, offices and financial markets.
The government said no major incidents had been reported but the typhoon
was disrupting traffic at the Hong Kong International Airport, with 151
flights cancelled and 115 delayed or diverted.
Ferry companies suspended services and ship owners and seafarers were
urged to take extra precautions.
ONE DEAD IN TAIWAN
The storm, moving west at about 30 km per hour, ripped into southeastern
Taiwan overnight, cutting power to over half a million homes.
A 54-year-old man drowned after falling off a breakwater into the sea
and at least one person was missing after being swept into a swollen river.
More than 12 people were trapped in mountainous areas of Taiwan.
The storm also hit Guangzhou and Shenzhen, two major cities in southern
China's Guangdong province adjacent to Hong Kong.
"The storm is hitting some of our cities hard but we won't know the
extent of damage until tomorrow morning," said an official by telephone from
the Guangdong Disaster Relief Office.
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Hong Kong's dominant carrier, suspended all
flights at 5 p.m. (0900 GMT).
Many people who live on Hong Kong's outlying islands began filing home
at midday, fearing they would be stranded when ferry services were
suspended. Long queues built up at bus stops.
Owners of small boats rushed to strengthen or add extra mooring lines
and construction workers lashed down material at building sites.
Classes at schools were suspended and phone lines were jammed as parents
tried to arrange transport for children.
Trading on the stock market was suspended for the afternoon and could be
delayed on Wednesday if the signal is still up.
Six or seven typhoons pass near Hong Kong each year, but direct hits are
rare. In 2001, one person died when Typhoon Utor tore through the territory.
The deadliest in recent decades was Typhoon Wanda in 1962, which killed
nearly 200 people and sank or wrecked nearly 1,300 small ships.
Tuesday, 02 September 2003 16:03:30RTRS [nHKG203678] {C}ENDS