At least two people have died after Hong Kong was hit by record rainfall on Thursday night. The downpours caused widespread flooding and continued to paralyse much of the city throughout Friday.
Police confirmed with HKFP that a man was found in the harbour near Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan. He was taken to hospital and later certified dead. Separately, a person who fell into Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter also died in what was being treated as a suicide.
Asked about the death of the man found in the sea in Sheung Wan during a cross-departmental government press conference on Friday afternoon, security chief Chris Tang said that more details would be revealed later.
As of 1.35 pm, Tang said 115 people had been injured as a result of the rainfall, four of whom were in a serious condition. Two of them were involved in a car accident, and the other two were injured as a result of falls.
There had been reports, too, of a person falling into a water catchment, Tang said, adding that the Fire Services Department was following up.
The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted the Black rainstorm signal at 11 pm on Thursday, as images of flooded malls, car parks, streets and MTR stations emerged. It recorded a rainfall of 158.1 millimetres in the hour after the warning was raised, a record high.
The warning was lowered to the Amber signal at 3.40 pm, then cancelled around an hour after.
Speaking during the same media briefing on Friday, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said the “extreme conditions” announcement would remain in place until at least midnight.
It marked the first time the government had made the extreme conditions announcement, and there was some confusion regarding what it meant for residents, with many heading to work on Friday morning as normal. At around 7.30 am, the Labour Department issued a statement detailing work arrangements under extreme conditions, more than an hour after the announcement was made, advising only essential staff to report for duty.
Asked why the government did not ask employers to suspend non-essential work, labour chief Chris Sun said that even during inclement weather, some employees such as those working in care homes and hospitals still have to go to work.
“That’s why we don’t think we should impose arrangements across the board. We recommend employers to follow our guidelines,” he said.
On Friday, Chan clarified that the extreme weather announcement was equivalent to the T8 storm signal warning, during which residents are urged to shelter in place and non-essential staff are not expected to go to work.
The government would make a further announcement later this evening on whether the arrangements would be extended.
Lee Lap-shun, the acting director of the Hong Kong Observatory, said the city had recorded over 600 millimetres of rainfall within the past 24 hours, equivalent to a quarter of its average annual rainfall. Tai Tam and Chai Wan experienced some of the heaviest downpours.
The government was repeatedly asked about its failure to warn residents about the historic rainfall ahead of its arrival, with reporters also questioning why the press conference came 15 hours after the Black rainstorm warning was raised, and why Chief Executive John Lee was absent.
Lee on Tuesday praised his administration’s response to Super Typhoon Saola, ahead of which authorities held a cross-departmental press conference to discuss different bureaux’ preparatory work. Speaking on Friday, Chan said that it was more difficult to forecast rainfall.
“The predictability is very low when compared to typhoon,” Chan said, responding in English. “So in typhoon, we can make an early prediction and make an early preparation.”
The city received numerous reports of flooding, with 60 being reported to the Drainage Services Department, and 341 reports being logged with the Fire Services Department. Acting director of Drainage Services Chui Si-kay said 40 cases had been dealt with.
“The reason for the flooding was that the rainfall exceeded the capacity of the drains,” Chui said, adding that debris and tree branches had flowed into drains, causing blockages.
According to the Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung, the Fire Services Department received calls for help in areas including Chai Wan, Wan Chai, Aberdeen, Sha Tin and Yuen Long. The department evacuated 110 people and received reports of 58 people who were trapped in lifts, Yeung added.
Chui also said that the Shenzhen authorities’ discharge of floodwaters at midnight did not cause flooding in Hong Kong. The floods in the northern New Territories were caused by heavy rain in the area, he added.
Tang said police were notified 45 minutes in advance that Shenzhen authorities would discharge waters from a reservoir, and evacuation services were provided for residents of villages that may be affected.
Angela Lee, the Commissioner for Transport, said the Transport Department was in close communication with public transport operators. Apart from stops between Shek Kip Mei and Choi Hung, where MTR station services had been suspended, trains were continuing to stop at other stations.
Bus companies were inspecting the road conditions and providing services accordingly. Lee said she believed most bus services could be resumed tomorrow, although this would take more time in places such as Chai Wan, southern Hong Kong Island and the Peak due to repair works.
A total of 20 landslide reports were received, authorities said.
| 💡If you are in need of support, please call: The Samaritans 2896 0000 (24-hour, multilingual), Suicide Prevention Centre 2382 0000 or the government mental health hotline on 18111. The Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology provides a WhatsApp hotline in English and Chinese: 6218 1084. See also: HKFP’s comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong. |
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