Civil servants roll up sleeves to deal with downpour
The civil service chief, Ingrid Yeung, says even more public servants will be used to help clear up the aftermath of the torrential downpour, that hit Hong Kong late on Thursday and on Friday, than the hundred sent out last week, after Super Typhoon Saola hit. Speaking after a radio programme on Saturday, Yeung said the civil servants would be deployed under the government-wide mobilisation protocol.  But the exact number called up under the protocol would depend on the actual situation, the minister added.  About 100 civil servants were deployed to the city's typhoon-ravaged streets around a week ago for work, including removing fallen branches.  Yeung said civil servants from government departments, that don't normally have to deal with emergencies, were divided into three shifts under the protocol.  Yeung said the public workers called up were "very ready to come and respond to calls", so people could go back to work or school as usual on Monday.  "The main work will be to help with people who have been affected by the flooding to restore their home situation, in more remote areas to restore the road situation...In the end, the final number can only be decided as the day goes on, when they have an estimate on how much work needs to be done," she said.  Yeung also said it could be difficult to immediately mobilise civil servants through the protocol to respond to major events.  "We need to let the emergency departments deal with these emergency situations first, and then we mobilise our staff to go under relatively safe conditions to help the families and residents affected," she said. Announced in Chief Executive John Lee's 2022 policy address, the government-wide mobilisation protocol goes into effect when major incidents take place.