Seventy-four people were injured as Typhoon Koppu swept to the south of Hong Kong, causing flooding, uprooting trees, breaking windows and blowing down signboards. Most of the injuries were minor, although four people remained in hospital in serious condition. At its peak, Koppu dumped 110mm of rain onto the city in a four-hour period and kicked up winds nearing 160km/h. The stock exchange cancelled the morning trading session. Authorities received reports of flooding in eight areas. Tai O was the worst hit, with water reaching 1.5 metres deep in low-lying areas, but the situation was not as severe as last year when Typhoon Hagupit sent seawater to the tops of people's doors. Yesterday was the first time officials activated the flood alert system since it was set up in the wake of Hagupit. 'The situation is much better than last year when watery mud kept pouring into residents' houses,' Chan said. 'Some residents received cell phone text messages about potential flooding at around 8pm and most learned about that from television news at around 9pm.' Families and shop owners were able to move furniture, electrical appliances and goods to minimise damage, he said. Koppu sent the tide surging about three metres, almost twice the normal level. The Observatory said the weather would be mainly cloudy with scattered squally showers today and become fine in the following days. The Hospital Authority said 74 people aged nine to 81 sought treatment at public hospitals because of the typhoon - 49 males and 25 females. A total of 28 people were still being treated in hospital. Four people were in serious condition last night and 24 were in stable or satisfactory condition. 'Most of them sustained minor injuries due to falling objects and were discharged after treatment,' a government spokesman said. The No 8 typhoon signal, issued at 5.55pm on Monday, remained in force for more than 16 hours. The Observatory said the typhoon moved as close as 140 kilometres to Hong Kong between 3am and 4am before it moved away from the city heading towards the mainland. A spokesman said the maximum wind gust was 158km/h, recorded at Tate's Cairn between 10.30pm and 11.30pm on Monday. Between 12am and 4am yesterday, more than 110mm of rainfall was recorded in the northern New Territories, forcing the Observatory to issue a flood warning. The amber rainstorm warning was issued at 3.55am and cancelled at 10.20am. The drainage department issued a flood alert for residents of Tai O at about 3am. Chan said the worst affected areas were Tai Ping and Wing On streets between 3am and 4am. Last September, Tai O village was turned into a swamp when Typhoon Hagupit caused a storm surge. Seawater reached the tops of doors in the hardest hit areas. Islands district officer Byron Lam Saint-kit said about a dozen residents requested to be moved into temporary shelters yesterday. 'More than 75 police officers, firefighters and Civil Aid Service officers were deployed to help Tai O residents,' Lam said. 'They mostly helped elderly people and shop operators move their furniture, electronic appliances and dry goods higher up on tables and chairs in case their homes and shops were flooded.' The No 8 typhoon signal was downgraded to No 3 at 10.15am yesterday and all signals were dropped at 3.40pm. By 10am, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department had received 48 reports of fallen trees. The Buildings Department received five reports of loose scaffoldings and one report of a fallen external wall. The Home Affairs Department opened 26 shelters, with 260 people using them. Businesses, markets, the stock exchange and courts reopened in the afternoon, but kindergartens, all-day schools and those for disabled children remained suspended. Office-bound workers hurried out of their homes to go to work after the No 8 typhoon signal was downgraded at 10.15am, with queues at bus terminals across the city before noon. Seven Hong Kong-bound flights of Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Philippine Airlines had to be diverted to Taipei, Bangkok, Manila and Guangzhou during the morning, an Airport Authority spokeswoman said.
