Hong Kong businesses and workers weather the storm of Typhoon Wipha’s fury

While the hurricane-force winds and torrential rains of Typhoon Wipha battered Hong Kong on Sunday, some continued to work, and many restaurants remained open, supported by limited rail services.

Among the restaurants that operated as usual was Chung Kee congee shop in Whampoa, as the operator said it did not expect the typhoon would escalate to a No 10 level.

“Originally, we thought it would be just a No 8 typhoon signal. We are close to an MTR station, so we thought we would open and see what the situation would be like,” operator Kathy Lam said.

Lam added that staff had taped up the windows of the store, but she said she had modest expectations about the day’s earnings.

Another restaurant in Whampoa, Cafe No 9, also stayed open during the typhoon, but operator Angel Lai said business was only “so-so”.

“It could be because of the typhoon warning signal No 10, so people are not willing to go out,” she said.