XN000022-1982-08-17 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1982

RAINFALL DEATHS AND DAMAGE

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THE BODY OF A 50-YEAR OLD MAN REPORTED MISSING YESTERDAY WHEN A STONE-AND-BRICK STRUCTURE COLLAPSED ON TSING YI ISLAND WAS FOUND TODAY, BRINGING THE NUMBER OF DEATHS RESULTING FROM THE TWO DAYS OF TORRENTIAL RAINFALL TO FOUR.

THE OTHER THREE VICTIMS WERE TWO GIRLS AND A WOMAN BURIED BY MUDSLIPS WHICH OCCURRED AT LAI CHI KOK YESTERDAY.

THE RAINFALL CONTINUED TO CAUSE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE AND FLOODING TODAY.

MANY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WERE GIVEN TEMPORARY SHELTER AND FOOD BY VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF HONG KONG.

THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT REGISTERED A TOTAL OF 1 110 HOMELESS PEOPLE BY MID-AFTERNOON. ALL OF THEM OCCUPANTS OF SQUATTER HUTS OR VILLAGE-TYPE STONE STRUCTURES WHICH HAD COLLAPSED, BEEN FLOODED OR WERE IN DANGER OF BEING AFFECTED BY MUDSLIPS.

OF THESE, 682 ARE STAYING IN VARIOUS TEMPORARY SHELTERS AND OTHERS WITH RELATIVES OR FRIENDS.

THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT REGISTERED 539 RAINSTORM VICTIMS, SOME 500 OF THEM COMING FROM THE NEW TERRITORIES.

IT DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 1 800 HOT MEALS AND ABOUT 300 BLANKETS TO THEM,

THE CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION OPENED 103 SHELTERS, 38 IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND 65 IN THE URBAN AREAS, PROVIDING TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION FOR SOME 500 PEOPLE.

THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 511 CASES OF FLOODING THROUGHOUT THE ISLAND, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES AND CLEARED 410 OF THEM BY ABOUT 4 PM TODAY.

IN ADDITION IT RECEIVED REPORTS OF 90 CASES OF MUDSLIPS, AND CLEARED 11 OF THEM.

MEANWHILE, AN ESTIMATED 250 HECTARES OF CROPS AND ABOUT 310 HECTARES OF FISH PONDS IN THE LOW-LYING AREAS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES WERE FLOODED BY THE HEAVY RAINSTOMS WHICH OCCURRED YESTERDAY AND TODAY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT SAID.

THE FLOODING TO CROPS AND FISH PONDS OCCURRED MAINLY IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN REGIONS FROM MA! PO TO HA TSUEN, YUEN LONG, KAM TIN AND PAT HEUNG. SOME FLOODINGS WERE ALSO REPORTED IN THE NORTH AND EASTERN REGIONS AT TA KWU LING, SHEUNG SHUI, TAI PO AND SAI KUNG,

/THE SPOKESMAN