HK residents cope with Mangkhut’s aftermath
30-minute ride on the metro.
A couple from Brazil, Lucas Bieniek, 30, and Fernanda Goncalves, 28, were also stranded at Sheung Shui Station from 2 pm with massive crowds.
They said they came from Shenzhen on their first trip in China and did not expect the traffic conditions after the typhoon to be so bad. The couple said they understood the situation and noted more patience should be given to the authorities as they were making every effort to resume the city’s traffic services.
Some residents, who foresaw the traffic paralysis in a violent typhoon’s aftermath, deliberately avoided the strained public transport services.
Exchanging stories of how one got from point A to B in Hong Kong on Monday was a popular topic among colleagues and friends and on social media.
A 40-year-old woman, surnamed Chu, responsible for safety issues at a construction site near Sheung Shui Station, told China Daily she had implemented prevention measures prior to the typhoon last Friday. She said this was so buildings under construction were not seriously damaged.
However, severely damaged trees blocked bicycle lanes nearby. Chu said she had cleaned paths with more than 10 colleagues since 8 am. As the bicycle lanes were being generally cleaned up, authorities would send people to take the fallen trees and branches away, she said.
More than just traffic
Fallen trees not only blocked roads but also affected some restaurants and stores. A tree was down in front of Ho Yin Seafood, a restaurant located in Hung Hom, after the powerful storm.
Chong Kong-chuen, the restaurant’s manager, said the barrier affected their business, though the restaurant opened on Monday. Chong added he hoped the authorities would fix it as early as possible. The government had arranged for people to deal with the fallen tree and would complete the work within the day, Chong has heard.
The storm also triggered price increases of groceries in the city. A vendor in Chun Yeung Street Market said the price of vegetables went up sharply. Some even doubled after Mangkhut, but the supply was stable.
Among all vegetables, the price of choy sum, also known as Chinese flowering cabbage, rose from about HK$8 per kilogram to HK$52. Yang Zekun, Xie Shudan and Chen Zimo contributed to the story.