Extreme weather response improved

All government departments concerned did a commendable job on Wednesday after the Hong Kong Observatory issued the first severe rainstorm warning of the year toward midday. Commonly referred to as the "Black Rainstorm Signal", the highest warning on the bad weather scale was raised on Wednesday morning as thick overcast conditions and a persistent deluge made it almost look as if day had turned to night. Some local residents were probably disappointed the Observatory did not hoist the signal earlier, but we all should be glad as the move saved the day.

According to personal experience, many people would have expected bad news across the city but this time the public were pleased to learn, after the black signal was lifted, that no major accidents occurred as a result of the heavy downpour. Indeed, flooding was kept to a minimum in areas where it had occurred in the past. One China Eastern Airlines flight from Nanjing skidded off the runway after touchdown in blinding rain but this did not cause any injuries to passengers. It was probably the scariest thing to happen on Wednesday.

Particularly worth noting is that no serious complaints were received about temporary school closures. This is a common practice in weather like this. It almost always causes a lot of confusion and panic among parents when it happens, usually more than once a year. The Education Department notified all afternoon schools to close for the day as soon as the black signal was hoisted at about 11:30 am, so those schools had enough time to inform students not to leave home. Students for morning classes were told not to leave the school until it was safe to do so. This prevented many of them from being at risk while walking home in heavy rain.

Call it lucky if you will, but the government deserves praise for its handling the first Black Rainstorm Signal response of the year; it went better than expected. Even though the timing was more fortuitous than in the past, when the ominous signal was raised earlier in the morning but too late for parents not to send their children to school. It is fair to say the public will expect this kind of response from now on. That can be a good or bad thing depending on how the government looks at it.

Extreme weather is a regular experience in Hong Kong when the monsoon season begins every year. It won't be long before we get typhoons as well as downpours like Wednesday's. Therefore the relevant authorities need to prepare for emergencies just as daunting (and if not more so) in the months to come. They must do their absolute best to maintain the standards they set this week. It won't be easy and the public will, to some extent, understand. But at the end of the day, the government is all they have to keep them from getting in harm's way when bad weather strikes.

(HK Edition 05/25/2017 page8)