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The Rainstorm Between 6.30 and 7.30
on the morning of Sunday, 12th June, Hong Kong awoke to a downpour the likes of which it had never before experienced. During that one hour, 6.18 inches of rain fell on the fishing port of Aberdeen. Radiating in concentric ovals from this point, rainfall figures of lesser, but equally unprecedented intensity were recorded over most of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, together with large tracts of the adjoining New Territories. It was the peak of a nightmare that lasted for the whole of Sunday and for several days to come. In the 24 hours ending at noon on Sunday, 15.80 inches of rain were recorded at the Royal Observatory; the highest ever daily rainfall for June and equal to the normal amount of rainfall for the whole month. Persistent heavy cloud and intermittent rain lingered more than a week, threatening further tragedy to a populace still counting
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their losses and taking stock of the damage.
The floods and landslides that resulted from these rains left 64 dead and more than 2,500 homeless. Blocked and washed out roads seriously disrupted communi- cations and isolated a number of areas, including the Peak District. In the after- math of this horror, people from all walks of life joined forces for the formidable task of clearing the mud and debris.
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Helicopters ferried supplies to isolated areas, emergency transit camps were established, and a -relief fund was launched to which
the public contributed with unstint- ing generosity. The scars left by the most disastrous rains Hong Kong has ever experienced still disfigure the green slopes above Victoria City.
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