Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

DRIVERS who committed violations related to typhoon damage before Friday will be exempt from punishment, according to a release on the police’s official WeChat account yesterday.

Due to the damage caused by Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest in the city in 35 years, some roads have remained closed for being blocked by felled trees, billboards, rubbish and sludge that have not yet been completely cleared.

Despite traffic recovering, police were calling on drivers to commute on public transport and limit driving yesterday, as heavy traffic and congestion were reported yesterday morning, the first day students returned to school. Road efficiency is still limited and under capacity. Some serious congestion was reported on Huanggang Road, Nigang Road, Wenjin Road North and Nanhai Boulevard due to some felled trees that hadn’t been cleared up yet.

Between Sunday and Monday, police deployed 5,895 staff and 1,422 vehicles to restore road traffic. They handled 1,186 felled trees and rescued 2,896 vehicles and 373 people trapped in floodwater. By noon yesterday, police had cleared 695 road sections.