DUBAI // Chinese expatriates fear for friends and family at home after Typhoon Nida, the strongest storm there since 1983, made landfall on Tuesday.
Storm force winds and torrential rain were lashing Guangzhou province after the typhoon forced the closure of Hong Kong Airport.
Thousands of passengers have been stranded as airlines, including Emirates and Etihad Airways, were forced to cancel hundreds of flights.
With the storm battering coastal areas and making its way inland, authorities advised people in the typhoon’s path to close businesses and make sure they were well stocked with food and water.
The UAE Consulate in Guangzhou city, southern China, asked UAE citizens to be cautious and remain vigilant about the typhoon.
Xu Xiaoping, owner of Golden Gulf Tourism and Travel in Dubai, said many in the community were waiting anxiously to see the impact of the typhoon.
“At the moment it’s still early, so we don’t know how the areas hit will be affected,” Mr Xu said. “I have a friend who lives in Guangzhou and I spoke to him a couple of days ago when we first heard that Typhoon Nida would be heading in their direction.
“He told me that the government has advised people to stay indoors and close shops and businesses in preparation. So far we haven’t heard about any damage caused but the storm has only just made landfall.”
There were about 30,000 Chinese people in the UAE from Guangzhou and they would be closely monitoring the situation back home, he said.
“If the typhoon does cause serious impact then the community here will do what they can to support their families back home.”
Lei Lei Wang, owner of Homeys Chinese Restaurant in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, has friends in Guangzhou who will be facing the brunt of the 150kph storm’s winds.
“I managed to speak to them a few days ago and they told me they were fine and making preparations before the typhoon arrived,” Ms Wang said.
“The authorities had told the shops and businesses to close and make sure that their buildings were secure and everything was locked up. I was planning to go on holiday to the area for a couple of weeks but now I think it would be better to look at alternatives.
“Most of my family is in north China, very far away from where the typhoon is but I do have a seven-year-old child who is in Shanghai and, although it’s far from the storm, I spoke to him to get some piece of mind.”
Emirates said its flights to and from Hong Kong and Dubai were delayed on Tuesday.
“Due to Typhoon Nida in the north-west Pacific that is affecting the weather in Hong Kong, Emirates flights EK381/EK384 on August 2 will experience delays,” a spokesman said.
“Emirates is closely monitoring the situation and apologises for the inconvenience caused.”
Etihad’s website said flight EY834 leaving Abu Dhabi for Hong Kong on Monday had been delayed.
The airline said it would be monitoring the situation but did not expect the return service to be delayed.
Both airlines are advising passengers to check for flight updates regularly on etihad.com and emirates.com.
nhanif@thenational.ae
*With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
