INNEND
At the mercy of Typhoon Rose
From PETER FORSTER
HONGKONG, Tuesday.
HONGKONG is in a state of chaos today after 12 hours in which the colony's 4,000,000 inhabitants (plus innumerable tourists like myself) were at the mercy of Typhoon Rose, the worst here for over three years.
By early estimates. Rose Is feared to have killed at least 80 people, injured at least 700 and made 1500 homeless. And to judge by appearances the marvel is that there were not more casualties.
To give an idea of the wind force : Outside my hotel this morning I found a No Entry street sign (exactly the same model as in London) flattened to the pavement.
Kowloon's main Nathan Road is littered with debris, and trees with trunks four feet in circun- ference are uprooted. Fallen shop signs, which the Chinese hang out as profusely as laundry, are everywhere.
Ten inches of rain at least fell overnight. A beautiful city looks in an appalling mess,
For
{ It was quite unexpected.
days Rose had been puffing around the South China Sea, alarming nobody, then suddenly yesterday morning she turned north, gathered momentum and headed straight for the Crown Colony.
H
Blackout
Instantly shops shut, strips of paper were gummed star- shape across windows as in the London blitz, and since the day was merely blowy and overcast the precautions all seemed rather exaggerated to one tourist who was prevented from crossing to Hongkong on the ferry to col lect a pair of beautiful and remarkably cheap alligator shoes.
But by evening things worsened dramatically. Around nine the mainland Kowloon electricity failed, for the first time ever.
"S
Anyone in the lift?" I asked the Chinese hotel bellboy. "Only one fellow." he grinned. By ten the radio was warning people not to go out of doors or stand by windows.
By midnight my modern 10- storey hotel was rocking as if in some nad lullaby. I never realised that a typhoon (as against a hurricane) moves slowly, at about 5-10 mph. It is also very hot.
Rose wandered steamily around Hongkong in the early hours of this morning, grounding at least 20 ships (though not the Queen Elizabeth, here for a few days), buckling huge steel sceur- ity doors across large waterfront départment stores. And sending. I dare Bay, not n few Suzie Wongs to bed alone,
The ferry of demtupuhtemen an Camera ---- I'ngo 3.
5/2
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