Huffington Post - 22 September 2013
HONG KONG — The year's most powerful typhoon had Hong Kong in its crosshairs on Sunday after sweeping past the Philippines and Taiwan and pummeling island communities with torrential winds and fierce winds.
Typhoon Usagi was grinding westward and expected to make landfall close to Hong Kong late Sunday or early Monday. Forecasters had warned earlier that the storm posed a "severe threat" to the southern Chinese city.
The typhoon passed on Saturday through the Luzon Strait separating the Philippines and Taiwan, likely sparing residents in both places from the most destructive winds near its eye. In the Philippines, Usagi left at least two dead and two others missing while in Taiwan nine people were hurt by falling trees on Kinmen island.
Usagi was downgraded from a super typhoon on Saturday after sustained winds fell below 241 kilometers (150 miles) per hour.
