The storm had weakened overnight but was still a severe typhoon, with sustained winds of up to 100 miles, or 160 kilometers, an hour, the Hong Kong authorities said. Buildings in that city swayed, trees were downed, windows shattered and hundreds of flights were canceled.
Even as Asia was dealing with the effects of the typhoon, the United States’ southeastern seaboard faced severe flooding as a result of Tropical Depression Florence, which pummeled the Carolinas.
In southern China, the typhoon made landfall in an industrial area of Guangdong Province, where the authorities said hundreds of thousands had moved to safer ground. At least two people in the province died in the storm, state media reported Sunday night.
Flooding but limited damage in Manila
The 12 million residents of the metropolitan Manila area, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, appeared to have been spared major destruction as the center of the storm passed hundreds of miles to the north.
The megacity was hit by heavy rain and strong winds, with trees uprooted and flooding in some areas. Among the inundated roads was Roxas Boulevard, a major artery that runs along Manila Bay and often floods during storms.
More than 1,600 families were evacuated after the Marikina River, which runs through part of the city, began rising quickly because of runoff from nearby mountains. The police said the body of a child, about 10 years old, was found floating in the river under a bridge in Pasig, one of several cities that make up Metro Manila.
By Sunday, the river had subsided and the families were allowed to return.
The Manila area sits near sea level on the shore of Manila Bay, making it vulnerable to the typhoons that sweep in from the Pacific.