People Shrug Off Typhoon, Head Out As Usual

While Typhoon Kompasu disrupted life in Hong Kong on Wednesday, some people still went about their business as usual.

The Strong Wind Signal No. 3 took effect at 4:40pm, replacing the No. 8 signal that had been in force for almost 24 hours as the storm moved farther away from Hong Kong.

Kompasu earlier made landfall over Hainan.

Schools and government services were suspended but some restaurants, supermarkets and convenience stores stayed open.

"We have got to earn money, we have to pay the rent anyway. This is also more convenient for the people, who may be looking around for food," said a cha chaan teng manager in Causeway Bay, surnamed Tse.

A passer-by told RTHK he went from Chai Wan to Causeway Bay for dim sum.

"We didn't stock up on food supplies at home, so we went out. The typhoon would only last a day or so, not a month. Why panic buy?" he said.

"It's not too windy now and there's transportation. It's not too dangerous."

Another passer-by echoed those views, saying the winds were not as strong as during tropical storm Lionrock last weekend.

The man, surnamed Wong, added the observatory did a better job with its forecasts this time, saying warnings were issued well in advance.

The government said as of 4pm, there were 72 reports of fallen trees and 10 cases of flooding.

The Hospital Authority said one man died and 20 people were injured on storm-related incidents.

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