Newsletter No. 529/530

05 # 5 2 9 / 5 3 0 | 1 9 . 1 2 . 2 0 1 8 強 颱風「山竹」於9月16日呼嘯而至,吹得全港高樓 震顫,樹折枝摧,演示了全球氣候變化下天氣可 以如何極端。中大依山而建,樹木茂密,風暴過後 同樣滿目瘡痍。中大校方為了師生安全,決定9月17日停工 停課,但原來物業管理處有一隊自願入伍的「颱風候命小 組」,早於颱風肆虐前啟動應變機制。 在八號風球懸掛前的星期六傍晚,物業管理處二十七名員 工已經開始留守指揮中心,其中負責總機的職員接聽大學 各方的求助電話,並密切留意風暴期間的校園狀況。駐守 員工由星期六晚(9月15日)留守至星期一早上,連續工作三 十四小時,共收到九十多個修繕破損門窗的要求。星期日深 夜時分,小組指揮有見風勢稍為減弱,立即與組員出來巡 視,發現遍地盡是吹斷的枝椏和樹幹,幾乎堵塞所有主要 道路。 處長 林耀華 先生說:「當務之急是開 通主要道路,小組組員一致希望能 讓大學職員及學生盡快復工復課, 各人在池旁路、車站路馬不停蹄地 鋸斷倒樹,不少組員疲憊不堪,鏈鋸 亦壞了三四把,這情況真是前所未 見。」園藝組未雨綢繆,早於風暴肆 虐前兩天預約了夾車及高台車,故 此能在風暴過後迅速移除堵塞道路 的倒樹。其他善後的工作量亦十分龐大,包括陸續清理搖 搖欲墜的樹枝,以免危害途人。 物業管理處有員工四百多人,停課當日,超過三分二排除萬 難跨越路上重重障礙回校工作,有庶務及樓宇管理組員工 甚至由馬鞍山走路返中大。校園得以於復課日順利運作, 物業管理處的預防措施不可或缺,風暴來臨前,屋宇及戶 外維修組已提醒工程判頭加固外牆棚架,並加派人手清理 淤塞的渠道,屋宇設備組也加緊檢查冷氣系統和機電設施 等。中大人互相守望的精神同樣重要:交通組司機協力清 理校巴站,保安組職員也有清理主要道路,引領緊急車輛 幫助有需要人士,更有學生於風暴過後自發清理校園。 地球溫度急升,引發漸趨頻密的極端天氣,除了提升災害 應變意識,我們該如何履行環保生活,令地球邁向可持續 發展? W ith its skyscraper-shaking and tree-felling blasts, super-typhoon Mangkhut taught Hong Kong a lesson on how extreme weathers could get in the age of climate change. The University suspended class and work on the next school day (17 September) after the storm. But the Estates Management Office (EMO) staff who voluntarily enlisted in the Typhoon Squad did not cease on the day but had actually begun well before the typhoon struck. On Saturday evening (15 September) before typhoon signal number 8 was hoisted, 27 staff members were at the command centre of EMO. They were monitoring the typhoon situation on campus and attending to calls from campus residents for help. The standby staff had been on duty for 34 hours from late Saturday to Monday morning and received over 90 requests, mostly for repairing shattered glasses and broken doors. Late on Sunday, the squad began campus inspection as soon as the storm had subsided and found broken branches and trunks everywhere, clogging the major roads on campus. Mr. Edmond Lam , Director of EMO, said, ‘Clearing the major roads was top priority under the circumstances. Our aim was to restore our campus to normal for our staff and students to work and study. Many of our colleagues spent hours and hours on sawing and removing felled trees. Several chain saws had to be discarded from overuse. I have never seen this before.’ The Landscaping Section had booked a grab-mounted truck and a crane a few days earlier for removing fell and hanging branches which could be dangerous to passers-by. Their prescience proved to be critical to the team’s speedy follow-up work as such vehicles were in short supply from a territory- wide surge in demand after the storm. While other staff and students stayed home on 17 September, over two thirds of EMO’s 400-strong staff overcame great obstacles to come back to campus. Some had to walk from Ma On Shan to campus. EMO’s preventative measures also played a part in the campus’s speedy return to normal. Before the storm, more manpower was deployed to clear the ditches and examine the air-conditioning and electrical systems, and contractors were reminded to reinforce the scaffoldings. Credit must also go to other conscientious colleagues: drivers of the Transport Office helped to restore the bus stops; security officers of the Security Office cleared the major roads and directed traffic especially for the emergency vehicles; some students even volunteered their service in clearing the debris. Global warming will make extreme weather conditions more frequent in the foreseeable future. In addition to relying upon the dedication and professionalism of EMO and other colleagues, we must also adapt to a sustainable way of life for the sustenance of the Earth. J. Lau 編按:為了讓物業管理處職員專注處理「山竹」後遺,《中大通 訊》延至近期才邀約訪問。 Editors’ Note: As EMO colleagues had still been heavily occupied for some time with follow-up actions in the Mangkhut aftermath, CUHK Newsletter had been putting off asking for their stories until recently. 急當務之急 風眼中候命三十四小時 Duty Always Comes First EMO’s 34 hours in the eye of the storm 吹斷的樹幹堵塞主要道路 Broken trunks blocking the main road 連夜趕工讓師生順利復課 Working in the dark to help CUHK smoothly resume its operation 加緊清理現場 Clearing the road 林耀華先生 Mr. Edmond Lam

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