Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – Hong Kong has been hit by widespread torrential rains, with flooding and landslides occurring in multiple districts. In response to the emergency, various departments of the Hong Kong SAR government quickly activated their emergency response mechanisms, working closely together to carry out rescue and disposal work, striving to minimize the impact of the torrential rains.
Since late last night, the Government Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre has been operating continuously. Senior officials from relevant departments have been closely monitoring the situation in real time, coordinating responses and actions across departments to handle various emergencies such as flooding, landslides, fallen trees, and road blockages.
The Drainage Services Department activated its Emergency Control Centre at 10:35 pm last night, quickly dispatching 180 emergency response teams, utilizing approximately 620 staff members and multiple high-powered drainage robots, working with other public works departments to carry out flood control and drainage clearing operations. As of 3 pm today, 29 flooding cases have been confirmed, of which 24 (including the Queen Mary Hospital flooding incident) have been handled and the water cleared, and the affected roads have largely returned to normal traffic.
Following the Observatory's landslide warning, the Geotechnical Engineering Department immediately activated its Emergency Control Centre. As of 2:30 pm today, the department had received 15 reports of landslides, involving multiple areas including Sai Kung, Tai Po, Kwai Chung, Lantau Island, Southern District, Mid-Levels, Wan Chai, Sha Tin, and Peng Chau. Relevant personnel rushed to the scene to inspect the situation and coordinated with relevant departments to arrange emergency slope reinforcement works.
During the period when the heavy rain warning signal was in effect, the Fire Services Department actively responded to various emergency requests: as of 4 pm today, it handled 42 reports of people trapped in elevators, 175 false alarms from the automatic fire alarm system, 36 tree collapse incidents, 7 landslide reports, and 69 flooding incidents. In two of the flooding incidents, it successfully assisted 6 citizens in evacuating to safety.
The Highways Department's Urban and New Territories Emergency Control Centre was activated simultaneously after the Red Heavy Rain Warning Signal was issued last night, focusing on coordinating and handling emergency road incidents. For sections of roads in the Southern District, Tai Po, and Sai Kung where landslides occurred, staff urgently cleared the accumulated landslide debris to ensure that at least one lane of traffic could be opened to the public as soon as possible, while continuing to monitor emergency slope repair work.
During the period when the Black Heavy Rain Warning Signal was in effect, the Transport Department's Emergency Traffic Coordination Centre not only continued to operate but also upgraded its response level, closely monitoring the operation of major arterial roads, tunnels, and bridges throughout Hong Kong. By rapidly assessing the impact of the rainstorm on transportation, close communication was maintained with relevant departments and public transport operators, and timely supervision and coordination of public transport service adjustments were conducted.
Frontline police officers remained on duty during the period when the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal was in effect, proactively assisting affected residents in multiple disaster-stricken areas, actively handling vehicles trapped by flooding, clearing clogged drains in rural areas, and making every effort to manage traffic and ensure road order.
The Home Affairs Department promptly opened 15 temporary shelters to provide refuge for citizens in need. Meanwhile, district Home Affairs Offices mobilized district councilors, members of local community organizations, and community care teams to promptly distribute the latest weather information to residents vulnerable to flooding, helping them prepare for potential hazards.
After the Red Rainstorm Warning Signal was issued, the Housing Department's Liaison Centre was immediately activated. As of 4 pm today, the centre received 49 inquiries from residents, all of which were immediately notified to the relevant departments for follow-up. During this period, a building in Kwai Shing West Village experienced a brief power outage; after emergency repairs, power supply has been restored. Housing Department frontline staff remained at their posts throughout the heavy rain to ensure that the overall operation of facilities in housing estates was not seriously affected.
