Authorities evacuate 200 Shek O residents by boat
Around 200 Shek O residents chose to leave their homes temporarily on Saturday, after landslides and road closures cut the area off from the rest of Hong Kong, following the huge downpour on Thursday and Friday.  Security chief Chris Tang said these people had to be evacuated by boat, with some residents relocating to Causeway Bay. “We will also deploy the Civil Aid Service team, Auxiliary Medical Service team, and police officers in Shek O and related areas to provide necessary services to citizens 24/7, " Tang said. "We also hope to clear the road as soon as possible so that the lives of residents can return to normal.”  Tang said an inter-departmental taskforce - including the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, and the Security Bureau - were working to restore the road. He said authorities were providing daily necessities and communication equipment by sea, while engineering personnel had also been sent in to repair power and communication facilities. A man, surnamed Poon, was waiting at North Point Ferry Pier for his family members who live in Shek O, including his 94-year-old mother.  He was happy that people were being evacuated before they ran out of food and water.  “The biggest problem is the landslide which has caused road closures and disrupted transport, making it difficult to get in,” he told RTHK. “Communication facilities are also mainly down, with no signal for landlines or mobile phones. People have to go to the local municipal services building and use the government wireless network to get a signal.” Earlier, telecommunication company 1010 said that a fibre cable near Shek O had been damaged during the extreme weather conditions and that services in the area might be affected. "As the impacted road is on temporary closure, it will take some time to conduct emergency repair...We apologise for any inconvenience caused," the company said.