Southern China has been battered by Typhoon Haikui. High winds and the heaviest rains in recorded history have flooded cities like Hong Kong and Shenzhen, injuring multiple people and compounding damage already created by last week’s super typhoon Saola. Even though Haikui was downgraded to a tropical depression after making landfall, its devastation has been as shocking as the images coming out of the region.
One of the most incredible videos was taken by an eyewitness in southeast Taiwan. It shows a vehicle attempting to drive into winds so powerful that the forward momentum of the car means nothing: The wind pushes it back down the street in reverse.
Thousands were evacuated from their homes as water ripped through city streets, washing away cars and homes. Video footage shared by Reuters shows how the roads have become gushing canals of muddy water:
Other reports have emerged that a firetruck responding to the emergency was swept into a river in Fujian’s Yongtai county. The five crew members onboard are still missing. Over one foot of rain fell in just 24 hours, but the downgrading of Haikui from a typhoon to a tropical depression came alongside a slowing down of the storm system. Torrential rains have lingered in a region that had already been soaked by Saola, resulting in flooding, landslides, collapsed roads, and more.