Typhoon Pabuk (2007)

Authorities in Manila closed all schools and government offices on August 8 as the outer bands of Pabuk triggered deadly flooding and landslides.[9] On August 7, Taiwanese authorities issued land and sea warnings for most of the island as Typhoon Pabuk was expected to make landfall the following day.[10] Government officials in Taiwan stockpiled nearly 6,000 sandbags to quickly respond to any flood disasters and cleanup crews were rushed into cities to clear gutters and storm drains in advance of heavy rain. Shopkeepers were advised not to tighten billboards to avoid harming others.[11]

As Pabuk made landfall in southern Taiwan on August 8, Chinese officials evacuated an estimated 20,000 residents from coastal areas in Fujian Province. Roughly 6,700 vessels were also called back to port in anticipation of rough seas.[12] An estimated 1.7 million text messages were also sent out to inform the public about the storm.[13]

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) and Macau's Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) both hoisted Strong Wind Signal No. 3 on August 9 as the system passed to the south of Hong Kong, they were canceled later. On August 10 the signals were re-issued as the tropical storm looped and turned northeast. The HKO also warned that winds were expected to strengthen further locally, and that the Hong Kong Education Bureau had suspended all classes for the day.[14] After upgrading Pabuk to a tropical storm,[15] the HKO issued the No. 8 Southwest Gale or Storm Signal at 2:30 p.m. HKT (0630 UTC) later that day as Pabuk reached the closest point of approach to the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters (skirting at 30 km west-northwest of the HKO Headquarters), and was about to make landfall near Lung Kwu Tan, Tuen Mun.[16] This was replaced by signal 3 later while Pabuk took another turn in direction and headed west inland into Guangdong. Early next morning, Pabuk resumed a northeasterly track, edging once again closer to the Pearl River Delta[17] before it weakened further and HKO cancelled all signals.[18]

Tropical Storms Pabuk (center) and Wutip (lower right) on August 8

As Pabuk neared Taiwan, the outer rainbands from the storm triggered monsoon rains over the northern Philippines, causing numerous landslides. In the mining town of Maco in Compostela Valley, seven houses were buried under mud, leaving ten people dead. Farther north, another person, a young boy, was killed by a landslide.[19] The streets of Manila were flooded by rains which left low-lying areas under neck-deep waters.[20] The rains also led to the collapse of a concrete wall, burying five children. Firefighters quickly rushed to the building and pulled the children out, all of them only sustained minor injuries.[21] After Pabuk struck Taiwan, another storm, Tropical Storm Wutip, brought more rains to the Philippines. The combined fatalities from the two storms totaled to 15, left one person missing, and injured ten others. About 1.2 million people were affected by the two storms and damages were estimated at $6.8 million (2007 USD).[22]

Despite being a typhoon upon making landfall near Eluanbi in southern Taiwan, Pabuk caused little damage.[19] Near where the typhoon made landfall, weather radar estimated that the area received rainfall in excess of 305 mm (12 in).[23] The heavy rains helped alleviate severe drought conditions which had persisted in southern Taiwan for several months.[24] At its peak, 60,000 residences were without power. No fatalities were caused by the storm and only $200,000 (2007 USD) was left in farm damages.[25]

Record setting rains fell in southern China as Pabuk stalled near Hong Kong. Zhanjiang, near the island of Hainan, recorded a 24‑hour rainfall measurement of 739 mm (29.1 in), higher than any other single day event in the past 200 years. Numerous stretches of highways and railways were damaged by the floods that followed. Several trains were cancelled due to the washed out tracks. Two dams reached record water levels and five dams reached the water danger mark. The Dawan Reservoir nearly overflowed, but workers dug canals around it to release the excess water in a controlled manner.[26] The storm left 64,200 people homeless, affected over 1.1 million, and about 4,200 homes were destroyed. Damages from Pabuk were estimated at $220 million (2007 USD).[27]

Despite the torrential rains, there were no reports of any fatalities associated with the storm.[26]

A storm surge of 0.45 m (1.47 ft) was recorded in Hong Kong.[28] On August 10, during the storm's second pass by Hong Kong, maximum 10-minute mean wind reached 101 km/h (which is storm-force) on Cheung Chau right before the issuance of No. 8 Southwest Gale or Storm Signal, and wind gust reaching 122 km/h (66 kt) was recorded on Ngong Ping (which is a high ground) at 7:16PM local time (11:16AM UTC), despite Pabuk only being a tropical storm.[29]