Dark rain clouds cover the sky over Victoria Harbour, in Hong Kong, on July 17, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong residents said their lives have been disrupted by Typhoon Talim, which brought the normally bustling city to a standstill on Monday.

Multiple flights were canceled, and bus and ferry services halted. Only a handful of private cars and taxis navigated the windy streets. The stock exchange, schools and several government offices closed, and many restaurants shut their doors, with only a few convenience stores remaining open. Amidst the driving rain, a few pedestrians clutching their umbrellas walked briskly down the streets.

Hong Kong hoisted the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No 8 for the first time this year in the early hours of Monday as Typhoon Talim bore down on the city. The signal was downgraded to No 3 at 4:20 pm.

ALSO READ: HKO downgrades typhoon signal to No 3 as Talim moves away

Bonnie Wen, an insurance professional, said the typhoon threw her whole day's plans into disarray.

Her 10-year-old daughter, a third grade student, was already on summer break. Wen had spent over HK$6,000 ($768) to enroll her child in a summer camp starting today. However, the typhoon cancelled all the camp’s scheduled activities – including a creative writing class in the morning and drama classes in the afternoon.

As the typhoon comes under force majeure, the camp organizers will not reschedule activities or refund fees already paid, which Wen said was frustrating.

Wen herself had planned to accompany a client to open a Hong Kong bank account this afternoon. The client traveled from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong by high-speed train, only to be told that the bank had closed due to the storm.

“It is true that many office staff look forward to typhoons as they do not need to work. However, for parents and the self-employed, a sudden typhoon is a nightmare,” said Wen.

A sign that reads "Typhoon Signal T8 is hoisted" is seen alongside a service suspension notice for the Star Ferry, at the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier, in Hong Kong, on July 17, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Chiu Wai, a committee member of the Hong Kong Construction Association Young Members Society, had planned to lead a youth exchange program today.

He planned to take over 50 students from primary and secondary schools and universities to visit Kai Tak Sports Park, a multi-purpose sports venue in Kowloon which is the government's most significant recent investment in sports infrastructure.

The event aimed to introduce young people to developments in Hong Kong's construction industry, cultivate their interest in the construction trades, and attract them to join the industry.

Early this morning, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) announced the suspension of all trading due to the typhoon

However, the outing was cancelled due to the typhoon. Instead of sharing his ambitions with youth, Chiu was stuck at home, aimlessly browsing his phone.

Chiu was also worried that the storm would impact another event on Tuesday. He was due to visit Shenzhen, Huizhou, Zhongshan and other mainland cities early Tuesday morning for a construction industry activity targeting Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area youth.

Chiu fretted that the weather on Tuesday would still be poor thus affecting travel.

“I hope this typhoon weather ends soon,” Chiu lamented.

ALSO READ: First T8 signal of year

Frank Zhao, 29, works in the trading office of a Hong Kong futures company.

Early this morning, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) announced the suspension of all trading due to the typhoon. However, this did not impact Zhao's work schedule, as exchanges in other major global markets remained open and he still needed to attend to his clients.

Throughout the day, Zhao monitored updates on the typhoon, as it would affect the timing of HKEX  resuming trading. Also, his firm needed to prepare announcements about the market's recovery and get ready for trading to restart.

Zhao said that many clients complained about Hong Kong's system of suspending the stock market on typhoon days, as many of them are based overseas or in the mainland. Halting the market affects their normal trading, causes inconvenience, and could even call into question Hong Kong's status as a financial center, Zhao said.

However, HKEX is tipped to make improvements about this issue, Zhao noted. In May, local media reported that a HKEX-led working group is drafting a new proposal to allow stock trading to continue during inclement weather like typhoons and rainstorms.

Maybe in the near future, the history of Hong Kong’s stock market being suspended due to weather will be rewritten, Zhao said.

Jonathan Chan Pok-chi, the first vice-president of the Hong Kong Fishermen Consortium, said that his members did not put out to sea and stayed in harbor to take shelter from the typhoon. Some fishermen will stay on board until the typhoon is far away, Chan said.

As the number of vessels anchored at typhoon shelters increases during typhoon days, Chan said he has coordinated in advance with the Marine Department and some marine police to keep an eye on the berthing situation at shelters. Priority will be given to local vessels in using the berths, Chan said.

To ensure the safety of fishermen, Chan has also organized volunteers to call or SMS them to take safety measures to protect themselves against typhoons, he said.

Mike Wong contributed to this report.