Hong Kong braces for Wipha: all you need to know about cyclone and potential T8
A steering committee headed by the city's No 2 official, Eric Chan Kwok-ki, convened a meeting on Friday afternoon to step up preparations.
The Emergency Transport Coordination Centre is also in operation, while emergency response teams, including those from the fire services, police, the Civil Aid Service and the Auxiliary Medical Service are on standby.
About 240 locations across the city that are prone to flooding have been inspected and cleared, while 180 response teams have been put on standby to inspect and clear drainage channels.
The Post looks at everything you need to know about the approaching tropical cyclone.
Trajectory forecast maps show that Wipha will pass to the south of Hong Kong as a typhoon around Sunday afternoon. Photo: May Tse
1. What is the projected path of Wipha?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong urged to clarify ‘extreme conditions' criteria after record rainfall
The Hong Kong government is under mounting pressure to clarify circumstances that warrant an 'extreme conditions' announcement to prevent residents from commuting to work during hazardous weather, a day after record-breaking downpours wreaked havoc across the city. Advertisement Some lawmakers and labour union leaders called for further clarification on Wednesday after some residents expressed confusion as to whether they should have headed to work during the torrential downpours. The highest-level black rainstorm warning was in effect for more than 11 hours on Tuesday, as the poor weather triggered flash floods and landslides. The government said the declaration of 'extreme conditions' would be considered when a natural disaster brought about extreme and widespread impacts. It gave the examples of large-scale power outages, widespread flooding, severe landslides and serious disruption to public transport services. 'The government will consider making an 'extreme conditions' announcement based on the actual conditions and those affecting the effective resumption of work by residents, the extent and scale of the disruption,' a government spokesman said on Wednesday. Advertisement '[This is] to allow general employees to remain in safe places after the cancellation of the No 8 tropical cyclone warning signal or the black rainstorm warning signal, rather than immediately returning to workplaces.'
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
2025 black rainstorm may be among Hong Kong's costliest natural disasters for insurance
This week's record-breaking deluge may rank among Hong Kong's costliest natural disasters for insurers, as the owners of cars and properties started to submit claims for damages caused by 11 hours of the highest category of rainstorm. Advertisement The payouts may top the damages caused by last month's Typhoon Wipha , but will be less than the HK$1.54 billion (US$196.2 million) havoc wrought by the last black rainstorm in September 2023, thanks to the mitigating measures taken by the government and business owners, said Zurich Insurance's Greater China CEO, Eric Hui. 'We received many claims from car owners due to flooding,' Hui said. 'There are also claims from homeowners who suffered losses from the heavy rain.' Hong Kong received 358.8mm (14 inches) of rainfall on Tuesday, the heaviest precipitation in August since the Hong Kong Observatory began keeping records in 1884. The most severe category of rainstorm warning was in place for 11 hours, second only to the one issued on September 7, 2023, which lasted for 16 hours and 35 minutes. Bride's Pool Road connecting Tai Po with the New Territories was damaged by a landslide during the black rainstorm on August 5, 2025. Photo: Handout The downpours triggered 29 floods that were categorised as 'significant' and caused 15 landslides in areas such as Tseung Kwan O, Central, the Western District, and Tai Po, with floodwater-submerged vehicles and damage to shops and property across the city.
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China ‘Bulldozer Hero' saves over 100 flood victims during heavy rain that lashes Beijing
A Beijing man has earned the nickname 'bulldozer hero' after he used his digger to rescue more than 100 people from heavy rainfall and floods. China's capital and its neighbouring provinces suffered heavy rainfall in the past week, which reportedly took 30 lives. Beijing Daily reported that the rainfall lasted 147 hours, during which the city received 40 per cent of its annual precipitation. Wang Tianyu responded to a phone call for help, then picked up a friend to assist him on his way to flood-hit areas. Photo: handout As the total amount of rain was increasing to more than 300 millimetres in Beijing's Miyun County, the government sent rescuers to evacuate residents. On July 28, Wang Tianyu, the 35-year-old owner of a construction company, was woken up by a phone call from his friend, seeking his help to save his elderly family who were trapped in a village. Wang immediately drove his company's bulldozer to the village and picked up his friend, street vendor Wang Chong, on the way. Wang said the water level in the village was at least a metre high.
