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Typhoon Saola aftermath: Hong Kong wakes to debris and fallen trees on roads, but damage not as bad as feared

  • Experts note minimal flood damage, attributing result to storm weakening on its approach
  • Some residents report buildings swaying in wind, while glass windows damaged at Lohas Park homes

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A jogger braves breached banks along Shing Mun River in Sha Tin in the wake of Typhoon Saola. Photo: Sam Tsang
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Hong Kong was spared the worst of Typhoon Saola on Saturday, but the most powerful storm to hit the city in five years left fallen trees, rubbish-strewn streets and flooded coastal communities in its wake.

Pelted by wind and rain from the remnants of the storm, residents ventured out of their homes in the early morning seeking basic necessities after spending more than 24 hours sheltered inside at the government’s urging.

Compared with past No 10 typhoons, the toll was relatively mild: the government received reports of at least 86 people sent to hospital, 1,545 fallen trees and two landslides.

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But major transport links including the Island Eastern Corridor and Gloucester Road in Wan Chai experienced interruptions until government workers could clear the way.

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Authorities activated the “government-wide mobilisation” response for the first time since it was introduced in city leader John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address last year. The alert puts more than a hundred civil servants from different departments into action, tasking them with cleaning up the streets and helping to remove sandbags.

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