In the aftermath of super typhoon Mangkhut, 15 students on Tuesday initiated a clean-up activity in the area around Tai Yuen Estate and Fu Heng Estate in Tai Po.
When school was cancelled yesterday, members of Remembrance of Grace Church Tai Po Church youth group, ranging from Form Three to university age, gathered to clear the streets of branches, leaves, and other obstacles.
It took them an hour and a half to clear a 50-metre biking trail and the pedestrian areas around it.
Mangkhut is officially the city's most intense storm since records began
So Pak-him, a preacher and leader in the youth group, said all of the students were Tai Po residents, and all were very quick to respond when the idea was proposed. They all showed up within three hours.
“Our church believes we have the responsibility to contribute to the community; we don’t just live in our own bubble,” So said, and praised the teenagers for their hard work.
The super typhoon left Hong Kong schools in chaos
Their efforts were appreciated by other members of the community, too.
Wong Sin-yi, a 17-year-old participant, said: “We were all very touched when an elderly street sweeper, who was off-duty at the time, came up and thanked us.
“She had been planning to clean the streets we worked on over the next few days, but we’d done it for her.”