provided. Detailed statistics are given at Appendix 18. It is of interest that the two large kitchens of the Department, one on each side of the harbour, can together cook a total of about 65,000 diets over a period of 24 hours.
54. The worst disaster of the year was caused by flooding following four days of exceptionally heavy rain in June 1959. There were over 18,000 victims and those whose huts or houses were damaged or destroyed were given a basic grant to cover the cost of re-building. Additional grants were made to the families of those killed or seriously injured, the highest being $9,000 to a widow with five children who lost her husband. Money allocated in this manner is usually put into a savings account and administered on behalf of the recipient by a case worker in the Department. These expenses were met from funds generously subscribed by the public to the South China Morning Post Fund ($185,811) the Hong Kong Tiger Standard and Sing Tao Fund ($77,678), and in the form of direct donations to the Social Welfare Department ($24,516). A gift of $160,000 towards the relief of these victims was made by Her Majesty's Government.
55. Apart from the floods in June, there were 58 separate fires in the urban and rural areas which called for emergency relief measures by the Department. The largest occurred in an area of squatter huts at Lo Fu Ngam, Kowloon, in October, when over 3,500 people lost their homes. Much valuable material assistance in the form of clothing, quilts and blankets, chopsticks, rice bowls, and cooking pots was given by the voluntary organizations concerned with this type of relief. These generous gifts from overseas are a most welcome supplement to the assistance given by the Department.
CHAPTER XI
CARE OF THE PHYSICALLY AND
MENTALLY HANDICAPPED
56. Much progress was made in the development of services for the handicapped during the year and the visits to the Colony of leaders in various specialized fields, such as Major D. R. BRIDGES, Director of the American Foundation for Overseas Blind, Lady HAMILTON from the Central Council for the care of Cripples, and Miss J. WHITTINGTON, O.B.E., Overseas Director of the British Red Cross Society, did much to stimulate the efforts of the voluntary organizations.
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