By Jess Ma,Vivian Au

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Residents forced to evacuate from their homes after a wartime bomb was found at a construction site in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay have said the government’s handling of the emergency was smooth, although some restaurants have complained about the loss in business.
At the Quarry Bay Community Hall, where dozens of people took shelter on Friday as police bomb disposal experts worked through the night, retiree Wong said that although the air conditioning was too strong for her, she was pleased with the care shown by the staff members.
“It’s very cold here,” she said. “All we can do is wait, but the government has done well in their arrangements as the resources available here have made things convenient.”
About 6,000 people from 18 residential and commercial buildings near the construction site on Pan Hoi Street, where the 1,000lb (454 kg) bomb was found on Friday, were ordered to evacuate. While some choose to book last-minute hotel rooms, others headed to 19 temporary shelters opened by the Home Affairs Department.

About 30 residents, mostly elderly people, took refuge at the Quarry Bay Community Hall until about 1.30pm on Saturday.
Care team members then helped them onto coaches headed to Chung Hing Mansion, Sunway Gardens and Kam Hoi Mansion.
Wong, 70, said she arrived at the community hall at 6pm on Friday, but she did not expect to have to remain at the shelter until Saturday afternoon.
The retiree, who lives at Chung Hing Mansion overlooking Pan Hoi Street, said pillows, blankets, biscuits and water were available on Friday evening and she had a bun and lunchbox on Saturday.
Although the air conditioning was too intense for her, Wong said staff members gave her additional blankets when she complained about the chill.
“I’m not worried about the bomb. I’ll just submit to fate,” she said. “The experts are very experienced.”
Another retiree, surnamed Wong and in his 80s, said that although there were no beds in the community hall, he was given a mattress.
“[The evacuation] wasn’t rushed,” he said. “The community hall was comfortable enough, what more could you expect?”
People living in the 10 affected residential buildings began to return home in the afternoon after authorities announced the bomb was defused.

Matthew Wong, 51, a logistics worker, returned to his home on Pan Hoi Street at around 2.30pm.
He learned about the incident from friends on Friday while he was at work and quickly decided to stay with his family after finding that hotels were charging more than HK$1,000 for a room.
“I decided to stay with my relatives because safety comes first and evacuation is essential,” he said.
A retiree named Qiu, who lives on Pan Hoi Street, said the government’s arrangements were smooth, pointing to the opening of the community hall.
“I slept quite well last night with the government providing necessities, including pillows for me,” she said.
But some neighbourhood businesses complained about being forced to close. Restaurant owner Judy Hui said she missed out on more than HK$10,000 over the past two days.
“It is a great loss for me, but I have no choice,” she said.
She was told to evacuate on Friday afternoon and was not able to return until 2pm on Saturday, so the restaurant could not serve two lunches and a dinner, she said.
Hui added she would try to open the restaurant as soon as possible on Saturday night to make up for her losses.
A 69-year-old staff member at another restaurant, who identified himself as Steven, said his eatery immediately resumed service at 2pm on Saturday.
He said he was not able to estimate how much the closure cost but it was definitely a “great loss”.
Earlier, residents gathering at the intersection of King’s Road and Tong Chong Street were upset to learn they had to take detours, as roads near the bomb site were closed during the disposal.
A woman surnamed Yeung told the Post she had to take a detour to get to work in Sai Wan Ho.
“I now have to walk to exit C to take the MTR to work at the wet market,” she said.

Inside Quarry Bay station, MTR staff cordoned off escalators leading to the closed exits A and B, with notices put up and audio announcements broadcast.
A real estate professional surnamed Yuen, in her 50s, said the exit closures affected her plans to visit an appointment-only private sale at Oxford House.
“I’ve asked MTR staff whether the area near exits A and B was still open; they told me it was, but I’m still confused as to how I could get there,” Yuen said.
“It’s dreadfully far to walk there from exit C.”