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Monday, September 4, 2017

The Aftermath of Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai: The Recovery

Even now, over a week and half after Typhoon Hato hit Zhuhai, fallen trees and other signs of the destruction left by the storm aren't hard to spot. Previous posts of scenes from the Lianhua Road Pedestrian Street, near the waterfront, the Bay Bar Street, Baishi Road, the Midtown complex, and elsewhere in the Gongbei subdistrict covered the day of the storm and the next day as well. To conclude this series of posts about some of the storm's impact, below are just a few scenes of the later cleanup, repair, and return to everyday life in Gongbei, mostly focused on places featured in the previous posts.

Two days after the storm, much debris remained on the Lianhua Road Pedestrian Street.

cleanup on the Lianhua Road Pedestrian Street after Typhoon Hato


Crews were using heavy machinery.

removing debris from trees after Typhoon Hato



Sometimes, construction equipment was repurposed to suit the task at hand.

removing debris on the Lianhua Road Pedestrian street after Typhoon Hato


Some of the large pieces of wood raised a question. What would be done with it all?

some of the remain wood from fallen trees


The night life at the Bay Bar Street, which had been severely affected, was returning at some places.

Muse club at night on Shuiwan Road in Zhuhai


Also that night, on the non-pedestrian portion of Lianhua Road night street food vendors were back in action.

street food vendors at night on Lianhua Road in Zhuhai


Six days after the storm, although the Bay Bar Street had been mostly cleared of debris, the long lasting damage to the trees that had once provided a thick full covering for the street was readily apparent.

damaged trees on Shuiwan Road after Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai


But some things still survived intact.

statues of two men playing saxophone on the Bay Bar Street in Zhuhai


Also, the popular walkway along Qinglu Road was clear, but damage remained.

Damage at the Qinglu Road waterside walkway after Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai


Eight days after the storm Baishi Road no longer had a large fallen tree creating a tunnel over it, but there was still work to be done.

large fallen tree in Zhuhai


At the Midtown shopping complex, a smaller tree was now in its more usual orientation.

supported tree at the Midtown in Zhuhai


Throughout the city, piles of debris from trees still covered bikes lanes or sidewalks. Also visible were the many shiny and apparently new chainsaws in use.

man using a chainsaw to cut fallen tree limbs


Sometimes the debris included unusual objets, including an astronaut I may have seen before.

disposed statue of an astronaut on the ground


Finally, many storefront signs had been destroyed by the storm. Some were under repair as Zhuhai moved on.

young men repairing a storefront sign with the words "To create the future"

Saturday, September 2, 2017

The Aftermath of Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai: More From Gongbei

This post is an assortment of photos taken on the same day after Typhoon Hato hit Zhuhai to add to those from the Lianhua Road Pedestrian Street, near the waterfront, the Bay Bar Street, Baishi Road, and the Midtown complex. Like the other photos, they are all from the Gongbei subdistrict in Zhuhai. Two later posts will cover the later cleanup efforts in some of the areas covered so far and also in neighboring Macau.

large object which had fallen to the ground
This doesn't belong there

people walking on Yingbin South Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato
Usually busy with vehicles, Yingbin South Road had many people walking on it



people walking on Yingbin South Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato



people walking on Yingbin South Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato



people walking on Yingbin South Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato



debris on sidewalks along Yingbin South Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato
The main reason for people walking on Yingbin South Road: obstructed sidewalks



debris on sidewalks along Yingbin South Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato



debris on sidewalks along Yingbin South Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato



Polo Villae in Zhuhai
Nonetheless, a few shops were open early on alongside Yingbin South Road



people sitting next to typhoon debris in front of a KFC in Zhuhai
This KFC was closed for the day.



tipped over large Coca-Cola bottle
A large Coca-Cola bottle did not fare well.



large Sprite bottle display
But a large Sprite bottle remained standing



sign destroyed by Typhoon Hato
Many signs were destroyed, and shattered glass was easy to find.



broken sign
Part of this metal sheet flapped in the wind. Many similar metal sheets had fallen to the ground.



tree blocking Yuehua Road in Zhuhai
Tree blocking Yuehua Road



Gongbei Port closed due to Typhoon Hato
Gongbei Port — the entry-exit point at the land-border between Macau and mainland China — was closed until later in the afternoon.



People waiting for Gongbei Port to open after Typhoon Hato hit Zhuhai



Zhuhai Railway Station closed due to Typhoon Hato
The neighboring Zhuhai Railway Station was also closed.



broken glass on the ground
Some of the damage near the railway station



destroyed air conditioner



two men dragging debris from trees



broken tree limb stuck in another tree
Broken tree limb stuck on another tree next to Qiaoguang Road



man pulling cart
Pedestrians on Yuehai East Road



People on Lian'an Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato
Finally, some scenes from Lian'an Road



tree which feel on a parked vehicle



People and vehicles on Lian'an Road in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato

Friday, September 1, 2017

The Aftermath of Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai: The Midtown Complex

According to a Zhuhai city website, the Midtown in the Gongbei subdistrict is:
Zhuhai’s first urban complex, covers a total floor area of 270,000 sq m, including the Fashion streets of 70,000 sq m, Novotel (Pullman) Hotel, a twin-tower Grade-A office building, and exquisite apartments. It integrates tourism, relaxation, shopping, catering, entertainment and business.
Just up the road from where I saw an& example of the remarkable damage from Typhoon Hato, despite its recent construction it too didn't survive the storm unscathed. Upon arriving there one day after the typhoon, I quickly noticed one of the piles of broken glass scattered around the complex.

broken glass at the Midtown in Zhuhai


A few steps back . . .

Midtown in Zhuhai after Typhoon Hato


. . . and a few steps closer . . .

towers with missing windows at the Midtown urban complex in Zhuhai


. . . revealed a possible source of the glass: windows from the two office towers. One person who spoke with me claimed the windows were blown off due to having been left open. Whatever the reason, a pockmarked surface is a terrible selling point for a relatively new and supposedly modern building still seeking tenants. More importantly, falling windows are obviously a major safety concern.

Nearby, the wooden structure for one of the two covered walkways succumbed to the storm.

covered walkway destroyed by Typhoon Hato at the Midtown in Zhuhai


The other one fared much better.

covered walkway at the Midtown in Zhuhai


At another entrance to the complex, an area previously closed off appeared to have suffered much damage as well.

damage from Typhoon Hato at the Midtown in Zhuhai


In the main commercial area, most of the obvious damage was to storefront signs.

partially destroyed "River Tooth" sign in Zhuhai


Finally, as elsewhere, not all of the trees made it through the storm unscathed.

small crane lifting a fallen tree at the Midtown in Zhuhai


Mostly, the Midtown appeared to have done OK after being hit by a category 3 storm, but those windows . . .

Thursday, August 31, 2017

The Aftermath of Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai: A Fallen Tree on Baishi Road

Whether at a pedestrian street, near the waterfront, or at a bar street, people did their best to navigate the debris left by Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai. One notable example elsewhere in Zhuhai was on Baishi Road (白石路).  One day after the typhoon, people on foot and riding various vehicles made their way under a tree that had fallen across the road without completely obstructing it.

people walking, driving, and riding their bike under a fallen tree across a road in Zhuhai


car driving under a tree that fell across a road


Some larger vehicles clearly would not have been able to pass, but while I was there I didn't see anybody turn around. Before deciding to move forward, though, a number of people paused, including myself.