Nearly 1,000 trees, including two registered as old and valuable, were blown over during Typhoon Hagupit, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department said yesterday.
Some 3,500 other trees were also damaged by the typhoon, with many needing pruning or staking.
The two registered trees blown over were a Chinese banyan in Kowloon Park and a 16-metre paperbark tree in North District. The former was listed on the register of old and valuable trees for its outstanding shape, the latter for its size. Their loss brings to seven the number of registered trees lost to weather this year. 'By way of comparison, the last typhoon, Typhoon Nuri, blew over about 1,200 trees to unrecoverable state and damaged another 4,000 or so,' the department said.
Meanwhile, the curator of a folk museum in Tai O is appealing for volunteers to help clear up damage caused by Typhoon Hagupit.
The founder of Tai O Culture Workshop, Wong Wai-king, with help from relatives, has been busy mopping up. 'I am trying to do as much as I can as the place is in such a mess now.' Many items had been badly damaged. 'I have just learned that, though many collections were soaked, they can still be preserved. All I need now is more people to come and help me.'
The Home Affairs Department said its officers had approached the curator and they would discuss possible assistance. It said 80 requests for help from Tai O residents had been received, all for help in cleaning private homes or public places.
