Hong Kong flood aftermath: smooth return to work, school for commuters despite ongoing repairs after record-breaking black-alert rainstorm

Hong Kong commuters on Monday morning had a mostly smooth journey as they returned to work or school amid ongoing restoration efforts after a record-breaking rainstorm struck last week.

Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki on Sunday reassured the public that the city had largely returned to normality.

But the MTR Corporation had asked passengers to avoid using Wong Tai Sin station, where many facilities remained damaged from severe flooding. Only one lift had been fixed and was in working condition.

The rail giant said other lifts and escalators remained closed and recovery would take time, urging people to allocate extra time for their commute if they used the station. Passengers were instead advised to use Lok Fu or Diamond Hill stations for the Kwun Tong line.

The situation at Wong Tai Sin station during the Monday morning rush hour was largely smooth, with passengers seen exiting and entering trains as normal. MTR staff stood by at almost every platform screen door to assist commuters.

Aside from the suspension of lifts and escalators to the platform, commuters said they were able to catch their trains as they had made plans to arrive at the station early.

Ming Tam, a 50-year-old Wong Tai Sin resident heading to his workplace in Sha Tin, said he left home 10 minutes earlier than usual in an effort to be prepared for any difficulties as he was worried about being able to reach work on time.

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Tam’s concerns were shared by civil servant Waiyee Chan, who also left for work in Kwai Hing 15 minutes earlier than usual.

“I made some preparations earlier and also checked if the service here would be suspended again,” she said.

The 27-year-old also added she was prepared to take a bus instead of the train if there were any disruptions.

Some passengers, however, were caught off guard by the suspension of lift and escalator services to the platform.

A woman surnamed Tam, who was taking her elderly mother to a follow-up appointment at Kwong-wah hospital in Mong Kok, said she was not aware of the suspension. Her elderly mother had to walk down the stationary escalator, while MTR staff carried her wheelchair.

Housewife Lee Mei, who was taking her daughter to school in Kowloon Tong, was also among those struggling with the suspension of lift and escalator services.

Lee said she had received assistance to carry her daughter’s stroller up and down the escalators on Monday morning.

“If I had to take the stroller up myself, it would have been very tiring,” she said, adding she was glad to receive help from staff.

Over in Shek O, residents in the rural community on the Southern tip of Hong Kong Island also said they experienced no issues commuting out of the area on Monday.

The area was earlier left isolated after landslides triggered by the rainstorm damaged its only access road to the city. One of the lanes was reopened over the weekend, but only light vehicles or single-decker buses were allowed to pass.

Lam Tam, a 40-year-old buyer in the luxury goods industry, said she ensured she had extra travel time to work by taking the 7am bus to Shau Kei Wan, instead of the 7.20am one she usually takes, adding the ride was smooth and took about 20 minutes – the usual journey time.

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Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung on Monday said sections of five out of six roads that were closed a day before because of landslides or road sinking had already reopened, with at least one lane open to traffic.

Parts of Yiu Hing Road in Shau Kei Wan still remain closed. The reopened roads are Stubbs Road in Mid-Levels, Wong Ma Kok Road in Stanley, Mount Nicholson Road on The Peak, Ping Chi Street in Hung Hom and Lin Shing Road in Chai Wan.

Lam conceded on a radio show that the landslide on Yiu Hing Road was serious and had covered a wide area, and that authorities were coming up with proposals to expedite the restoration process.

A landslide had hit the road, sending giant boulders raining down and completely covering a 50-metre (164 foot) section with mud and rocks.

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Last Thursday, a record black rainstorm alert issued at 11.05pm lasted for more than 16 hours, with the city reporting the most amount of rain ever collected in an hour. The Observatory headquarters logged 158.1mm (6.2 inches) of rain between 11pm and midnight that day, the highest since records began in 1884.

The downpour brought the city to a standstill the next morning as streets were turned into rivers, drivers were left stranded in cars, restaurants and railway stations flooded and landslides struck near residential estates. More than 100 people were sent to hospital.