Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter

Chinese
pic=CWB typhoon shelter.jpg|center
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Island Eastern Corridor
s=铜锣湾避风塘
t=銅鑼灣避風塘
p=Tónglúowān bìfēngtáng
j=Tung⁴ Lo⁴ Waan¹ bei⁶ fung¹ tong⁴
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Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter is a typhoon shelter located in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, between the Hong Kong Island entrance of Cross Harbour Tunnel on Kellett Island and Island Eastern Corridor. Its size is about 14 hectares (35 acres). It was the first typhoon shelter in Hong Kong.cite book|title=Challenges for an Evolving City - 160 Years of Port and Land Development in Hong Kong|author=Ho Pui-yin|publisher=The Commercial Press|id=ISBN 962-07-6336-X|date=2004]

History

The original typhoon shelter was built after the 1874 typhoon, at the present location of Victoria Park, to provide shelter for fishing boats during storms. It was completed in 1883 with a breakwater only 427 metres (1,400 feet) long. The cost was HK$96,500.

In December 1903 a Legislative Council member, Gershom Stewart, suggested that the typhoon shelter be expanded. The motion was passed but expansion works could not be carried out due to lack of capital. The Legislative Council and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce questioned the Hong Kong Government on the expansion in 1904 and 1906, but the Government did not give any response. [Chinese Mail, 2 November 1906]

On 1906-09-18 a typhoon struck Hong Kong, destroying 3,653 boats and killing 15,000 people, most of them fishermen. [cite book|title=Weathering the Storm - Hong Kong Observatory and Social Development|author=Ho Pui-yin|date=2003|id=ISBN 962-20-9701-8|publisher=Hong Kong University Press] In March 1908 the Government finally carried out expansion works on the typhoon shelter, deepening it by 3 metres (9 feet) and expanded it to 30 hectares (75 acres).

In 1953 the typhoon shelter was moved northwards to its present site and the original typhoon shelter was reclaimed to provide land for Victoria Park. The new typhoon shelter had a size of 26 hectares (65 acres). However, reclamation projects which started in the typhoon shelter during the late 1960s to construct the Cross Harbour Tunnel decreased the size of the typhoon shelter.

Environmental concerns

A 2005 Government report singled out the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter as having "exceptionally high levels" of tributyltin, exceeding 1000 times the baseline concentration measured in the East Lamma Channel. [cite conference|title=Chapter 4: Contaminants of Concern|booktitle=Environmental Baseline Survey Report: Toxic in Marine Sediments and Biota|publisher=Environmental Protection Department|location=Hong Kong|date=2005|url=http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd//tc_chi/environmentinhk/eia_planning/sea2005/toxic_marine_4_5.html]

urrounding roads

To the west:
*Cross Harbour Tunnel

To the south:
*Gloucester Road
*Victoria Park Road

To the east:
*Island Eastern Corridor

Notable places nearby

*Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
*Noon-day Gun
*The Excelsior
*Victoria Park
*Shelter Street, south of Victoria Park reminds of the original typhoon shelter

References