(b) Other Duties
8. The fire which broke out on the night of 16th January, 1961 in Valley Road, Hung Hom was the largest since 1955. Because of strong winds the fire spread quickly over the whole valley and to neighbouring valleys as well. 10,456 persons lost their homes and were allocated temporary sites on the former airport land at Kai Tak. The site of the fire is being formed for low cost housing and other development.
9. There were four other large fires during the year, of which the largest occurred during September in the squatter area north of Tai Hang Tung Resettlement Estate; 4,550 persons lost their homes. The other three were on the waterfront by the Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter, affecting 1,783 persons; in the squatter area above Causeway Bay, affecting 906 persons; and at Lo Fu Ngam affecting 1,833 persons. There were also 21 smaller squatter fires which made a total of 2,516 persons homeless.
10. Typhoon 'Mary' caused extensive damage in squatter areas, destroying 425 huts and making 2,698 persons homeless.
11. The victims of most of these disasters were allocated temporary sites on or near the sites they had previously occupied. In a few instances they had to be re-sited further away. Some of the victims of the Lo Fu Ngam fire were occupying an area which was already due for clearance and were therefore given immediate resettlement in rooms which had already been reserved for them. Families who lost their homes in Typhoon 'Mary' or subsequent disasters were given money from the Community Typhoon Relief Fund, in addition to the usual relief provided by the Social Welfare Department and by voluntary agencies.
12. The division has a number of temporary areas, where sites are allocated to rooftop dwellers when the tenement itself is destroyed or demolished for redevelopment, or to tenants of tenements which are condemned as dangerous. Tenants of buildings demolished for redevelop- ment are compensated under the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance and are not assisted in this way. 1,155 rooftop squatters and 193 tenants were resited during the year.
13. Re-siting is sometimes used to clear land for development, if no resettlement accommodation is immediately available. The Squatter Control Division allocates sites to the squatters and supervises, the re- building. The squatters are sometimes given cement to assist them in building paths and rudimentary drainage channels. 382 structures were moved in this way during the year.
3