The Return of Typhoon Pabuk

From the newspapers this morning, I learned that Typhoon Wutip, after passing Taiwan, had died down and become a very loose tropical depression while Typhoon Pabuk did not disperse itself. Instead, after passing the south of Hong Kong, it intensified again and travelling in a loop-shape track pointing its way towards Hong Kong again. During breakfast this morning, someone in our often-visit Fast-food restaurant said that Typhoon Signal No. 1 was on. I did not ask him for the truth, but I wondered why. Yesterday, all typhoon signals had been cancelled.

Returning home, I learned from TV that the man was right. The news startled me. Pabu was still alive. It would affect Hong Kong again. Owing to his movement and intensity, the Hong Kong Observatory put up Typhoon Signal No. 3 at 12:40 p.m.

At half past two, our observatory changed the signal to 8. From that time on, we experienced strong winds and heavier rain.

At this moment, people are rushing home from all corners of Hong Kong. Telephones lines jam and the traffic becomes very busy. The scene of taking the last ferries back to the Outlying Islands appears again. It is the first time Typhoon Signal No. 8 being hoisted this year. At 4 p.m. the typhoon is 30 km WNW of Hong Kong and moves north-eastward at 8 km per hour.

The arms of the cranes at the building site of New Prince of Wales Hospital have been lowered to ground level to avoid destruction by strong winds.

It is strange enough that Pabuk changes course from a NE direction to West again within a few hours and it is travelling away from Hong Kong towards Macau at 8 p.m.