The Government said today with its concerted efforts and that of all sectors of the community, the impact and destruction brought by Super Typhoon Saola were kept to a minimum.

It noted that the arrangements of the first school day were generally smooth and that it will continue to strive to complete the residual relief work to ensure the safety of citizens despite the community having largely returned to normal.

To guard against the serious damage and destruction that Saola may bring, Chief Executive John Lee said he instructed all departments to make full preparations to deal with the worst possible situation prior to the typhoon hitting Hong Kong.

He appointed the Chief Secretary to lead, and the Secretary for Security to co-ordinate responses across government departments.

After Saola gradually moved away from Hong Kong, Mr Lee approved for the first time, the activation of the government-wide mobilisation level. Led by the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), a quick response unit comprising over 100 civil servants from different departments provided support and carried out relief work in Sha Tau Kok, Tung Chung, Lei Yue Mun and Tai O in the past two days.

The Hong Kong Observatory had been monitoring the movement and intensity of Saola as it hit Hong Kong, and once issued Hurricane Signal No.10.

Early in the preparation stage, the Government set up a cross-departmental steering committee, chaired by Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, together with the Emergency Monitoring & Support Centre under the Security Bureau, to fully monitor and co-ordinate relevant government departments and organisations in the preparation, response and rescue work, including mobilising all the manpower and resources required to take decisive responses.

Moreover, to alert the public to prepare early, Mr Chan led representatives from relevant government departments in a joint press conference to brief citizens on the latest typhoon situation and announce in advance the timeframe of hoisting the No. 8 Gale or Storm Signal and the suspension of all school classes as well as explain the Government's preparation in response to the typhoon.

On the transport front, the Transport Department’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre maintained its operation throughout the typhoon to monitor the traffic conditions of major roads, tunnels and bridges in the city, and communicate with the relevant government departments and public transport operators in real time to cope with emergencies.

After the typhoon weakened, the relevant government departments immediately inspected road conditions, cleared collapsed trees and debris blocking the roads, dealt with road blockages caused by flooding and landslides, and carried out urgent repairs to damaged road surfaces to ensure that important roads were free of obstruction.

All bus routes resumed services today, including the Citybus routes which were affected by fallen trees or obstruction on roads in Southern District.

In addition, the Development Bureau activated the Emergency Command System during the storm to compile and prepare comprehensive information on the resources of a total of 43 public works contractors, so that individual works departments could flexibly mobilise and deploy resources in a very short period of time to deal with emergency works brought about by the storm, including the clearance of road obstacles and fallen trees.

After the wind subsided, departments under the Development Bureau including the Buildings Department (BD) and tree management departments mounted large-scale inspections as soon as possible to identify and deal with signboards, trees and scaffolding affected by the typhoon that carried potential risks.

As of yesterday, the BD had identified 36 cases involving loose signboards, scaffolding, windows or damaged structures that required follow-up action due to potential safety hazards.

The BD immediately made arrangements for government contractors to follow up or requested owners and their contractors to do so. It also contacted the contractors of 102 private construction sites. Of these, 12 sites had minor damage and repair works have been completed or are being carried out by the contractors.

At the same time, tree management departments had handled over 6,000 trees affected by the typhoon, including the removal of about 2,000 hazardous trees based on the principle of prioritising public safety, and the stabilisation and trimming of dangling broken branches for the remaining ones.

In terms of district support, the 18 district offices have been rendering full assistance to help residents take precautions against the storm, liaising with government departments to deal with various accidents, arranging for residents of lowland areas to evacuate, and taking post-typhoon follow-up action.

A total of 36 Community Care Teams (care teams) from Tsuen Wan District and Southern District mobilised more than 300 members to assist in various tasks of the district offices.

Regarding the arrangements for school commencement, schools had immediately inspected their facilities following the passage of the typhoon. Having ensured that the conditions were safe, schools opened smoothly this morning.

In addition, the Education Bureau, the Transport & Logistics Bureau and relevant schools sent staff to the control points to inspect the boundary crossing situation of cross-boundary students. The entry and transport arrangements this morning were generally smooth.

The Chief Executive thanked the Chief Secretary, the Secretary for Security and various departments for their full commitment to their work, including strengthening preparations for early warning, dissemination of information, reduction of damage, reminding citizens to take precautions, and going all out to respond, rescue and handle the aftermath.

He pointed out that teamwork and synergy were given full play to minimise the damage caused by Saola's attack on Hong Kong.

Mr Lee also expressed his gratitude to staff of different departments, government contractors, providers of public transport and other services, volunteers and members of District Services and care teams, and media workers for performing their duties with dedication during the storm.

Additionally, he thanked the public for supporting the Government's appeal to take early prevention measures to protect themselves.

A total of 86 people including rescuers sustained injuries, mostly slight injuries, during the typhoon.

Mr Lee extended his sympathy to the injured citizens and rescuers affected by the powerful typhoon and wished them a speedy recovery.

The Government reminded the public that trees and structures, especially signboards, may become unstable after the typhoon and heavy rain, people should always remain vigilant when going outdoors, and avoid staying under trees or signboards for long periods of time.

Land owners and property management staff should complete inspections of structures and trees under their management as soon as possible and carry out appropriate risk mitigation work to avoid accidents.

Call Police or the 1823 hotline for assistance or enquiries.