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SCMP

TYPHOON TOOK FOUR LIVES
Alice created two new records
By SCMP Staff
This article was first published on May 21, 1961
The typhoon which struck Hongkong on Friday took four lives, but the damage done was negligible compared to the havoc wrought by the severe storm which pounded the Colony in June last year.
The number of people injured during Typhoon Alice was around 20, but the majority of them were not seriously hurt.
The four persons who were killed were two women and two children.

This is how they died: A boy was swept into the sea by waves and drowned. His body was found on the seashore off Hoi Tan Street, Shamshuipo.
A child was buried under two tons of earth in a land slip at Shaukiwan. Four other people who were with him were also buried, but they were extricated alive.
A woman climbed to the roof of her hut apparently to cut away some bamboo trees which the wind had blown down. She slipped and fell, and was impaled on the sharp bamboo poles.
A woman was thrown off a sampan in a collision. She was dead when she was pulled out of the sea.
Initial reports had indicated that since there was flooding in some areas of the New Territories damage to crops might be extensive. But a survey carried out yesterday showed that this surmise was incorrect.

A statement issued by the Royal Observatory yesterday, tracing the life of Typhoon Alice, noted that it was the first storm ever to cause gales at the Observatory in May.
However, there had been other occasions when storm signals had been hoisted and gales had been recorded at Waglan Island. The peak gust of 89 knots was 50 per cent higher than the previous record for May which was 59 knots. The lowest pressure of 981.6 millibars (28.987 inches) recorded in Alice was also a record, being 12.5 millibars (0.369 inches) lower than the previous record established in May 1938.
There has been only one other occasion—November 1939—when the eye of a storm has crossed the Royal Observatory. However, there have been five other recorded occasions when the eye has passed somewhere over the Colony. The eye was approximately 20 miles in diameter, which agrees with all the radar and aircraft reports received after the storm had reached typhoon intensity.
Little evidence
If a tourist had driven around the island in a car yesterday he would have found it difficult to believe that Typhoon Alice had passed that way only the day before.
There was little evidence of Alice.
At Aberdeen the thousands of boats jammed together seemed to have fared well and apart from the odd hoarding which had been blown down Alice appeared to have treated the fishing village well.
Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay were unmarked and the beaches were crowded with the usual week-end swimmers enjoying the hot sunshine.
At Stanley Village life was going on as usual. Fishermen were hanging out their clothes and bedding to dry and repairing torn nets.

Small landslides were cleared. Cracked branches were sawn off.
Only negligible damage was caused to the Colony’s rice crop, vegetables, fruit trees, flowers fish ponds and livestock.
A preliminary survey carried out by field teams of the Agriculture and Forestry Department yesterday showed that the rice crop sustained negligible damage.
Slight losses were caused to the young crop of leafy vegetables due to the winds and rain but early recovery is expected.
Vegetables grown on trellises, such as gourds and beans, were affected. About 25 per cent of the bamboo stakes was blown down by the strong winds although the vegetables themselves suffered little damage.
Damage was caused to flowers in the Shatin and Taipo areas.
Some damage was sustained by orchards, with fruits being dislodged. Fruit sets were affected and lower yields are expected of such fruits as laichee, lunggan and wong pei.
Egg hatcheries in the New Territories were upset by the disruption of power supplies.
Virtually no damage was caused to fish ponds.
No livestock losses have yet been reported but losses, if any, are expected to be insignificant. Livestock buildings, however, did not escape the fury of the typhoon. Many cattle sheds and pig pens had their roofs ripped away by the strong winds.

Fishing fleet
The typhoon caused only minor damage to the Colony’s fishing fleet.
No reports of loss of life among the fishing population as a direct result of the typhoon have been received. Only four or five fishing vessels were either sunk or damaged beyond repair.
Of these, two were small long-liners wrecked at Cheung Chau and two were junks damaged beyond repair at Taipo.
One fishing vessel is reported missing but the report is subject to confirmation as the jink may have put into Macao or some other neighbouring port for shelter.
Telephone communications in some parts of the Colony yesterday were still interrupted from time to time as a result of damage caused by Typhoon Alice.


In pictures: crossing the Hong Kong-mainland China border through the decades

In 1961, Typhoon Alice claims 4 lives in Hong Kong – SCMP archive

Hong Kong’s HK$690 million Central Library opens in Causeway Bay in 2001 – SCMP archive

Hong Kong’s iconic Bank of China Tower opens in 1990 – SCMP archive

From our archives

The paper edition of SCMP on May 21, 1961, two days after Typhoon Alice hit Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP

An SCMP picture from the May 21, 1961 paper edition showing a 7,000-ton Indonesian freighter being refloated with the helps of tugs at Taikoo Dockyard. Photo: SCMP

An SCMP picture from the May 20, 1961 paper edition shows a sign in Central that was partially damaged during the typhoon. Photo: SCMP

An SCMP picture from the May 20, 1961 paper edition shows roofs of buildings in Ho Man Tin that were ripped off during the storm. Photo: SCMP

An SCMP picture from the May 20, 1961 paper edition shows people queuing up outside the Star Ferry Pier. Photo: SCMP

Hong Kong’s Central Library was mired by controversy and criticism prior to its opening in May 2001. Photo: David Wong

About 600 people queued to be among the first to explore the new library. Photo: David Wong

Tung Chee-hwa (left) and Lam Woo-kwong (right) and other guests ride in the glass lift during the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Central Library in Causeway Bay on May 16, 2001. Photo: Antony Dickson

The historic Bank of China building (centre) flanked by the tower under construction (left) in 1988. Photo: P Y Tang

Mr Wang Deyan (second from left), President of the Bank of China, and Mr Zhou Nan (centre), Director of the New China News Agency, perform the ribbon-cutting ceremony which marks the opening of the Bank of China Tower in 1990. Photo: SCMP

Local tycoon Li Ka-shing (left) on his way to attend the opening ceremony of the headquarters of the Bank of China in 1990. Photo: SCMP

William Purves, Chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, at the opening ceremony of the new headquarters of the Bank of China in 1990. Photo: SCMP

Financial Secretary Piers Jacobs making his way to attend the opening ceremony of the new headquarters of the Bank of China in 1990. Photo: SCMP

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On this day in 1961, a typhoon that hit the city injured around 20 and led to four – two women and two children – being killed


On this day in 1961, a typhoon that hit the city injured around 20 and led to four – two women and two children – being killed.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}On this day in 1961, a typhoon that hit the city injured around 20 and led to four – two women and two children – being killed

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}TYPHOON TOOK FOUR LIVES

Alice created two new records

On this day in 1961, a typhoon that hit the city injured around 20 and led to four – two women and two children – being killed

TYPHOON TOOK FOUR LIVES