Hong Kong leader vows to ‘consider all things' for future extreme weather prep
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday defended the decision by Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city's No 2 official and chair of the steering committee on handling extreme weather, and said such preparatory actions were 'absolutely correct'.
Last Thursday, the committee decided to suspend all day schools for the following day as some forecasts warned the city faced its 'fifth-largest daily rainfall' on record amid the impact of storm Danas.
In the past, such announcements were typically made on the morning of the suspension.
But the weather on Friday morning was calm, with limited rainfall, prompting backlash from parents who said the suspension had forced their children to miss out on their graduation ceremonies and other school events.
'[We] heard different opinions from the society concerning the steering committee's decision on suspending classes,' Lee told reporters ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.
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South China Morning Post
19 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong leader vows to ‘consider all things' for future extreme weather prep
Hong Kong's leader has pledged to 'take all things into consideration' for future extreme weather preparations after parents criticised last week's decision to suspend day schools over concerns about a rainstorm that subsided quicker than expected. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday defended the decision by Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city's No 2 official and chair of the steering committee on handling extreme weather, and said such preparatory actions were 'absolutely correct'. Last Thursday, the committee decided to suspend all day schools for the following day as some forecasts warned the city faced its 'fifth-largest daily rainfall' on record amid the impact of storm Danas. In the past, such announcements were typically made on the morning of the suspension. But the weather on Friday morning was calm, with limited rainfall, prompting backlash from parents who said the suspension had forced their children to miss out on their graduation ceremonies and other school events. '[We] heard different opinions from the society concerning the steering committee's decision on suspending classes,' Lee told reporters ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.
RTHK
20 hours ago
- RTHK
'Danas severe weather preparations absolutely correct'
'Danas severe weather preparations absolutely correct' John Lee says the interdepartmental committee had hoped to minimise severe-weather risks with its advance preparations. File photo: RTHK Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday an interdepartmental committee was absolutely correct to have made advance preparations for potential severe weather conditions last week. The steering committee chaired by Chief Secretary Eric Chan issued warnings ahead of time and suspended classes at day schools on Friday, after the observatory predicted that there could be heavy rain and thunderstorms. Speaking ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee noted that the preparatory work also included having the Drainage Services Department carry out inspections and clearance efforts at locations prone to flooding and the Highways Department review the flood warning system. "I understand that through advance preparatory work, government departments hope to minimise the risks and they decided to suspend schools," Lee said. "The operation carried out by the committee led by the chief secretary in coordinating various departments to make advance preparations for tropical storm Danas, in this regard, was absolutely correct." Lee noted that the administration has heard different views in the community about the committee's decision to suspend classes, saying that the government will draw on the experience and give full consideration to all matters in dealing with extreme weather. He added that the administration would continue to carry out similar preparatory work in the future.
HKFP
a day ago
- HKFP
Ex-Hong Kong Observatory director defends class cancellations 18 hours ahead amid rainstorm forecast
A former director of the Hong Kong Observatory has defended the government's decision last week to cancel classes pre-emptively, saying that the move reflected 'respect for people's lives.' In an interview with Commercial Radio on Monday, Lam Chiu-ying commented on the Education Bureau's announcement on Thursday – when the red rainstorm warning was issued – to suspend all classes the following day. The announcement was made just before noon on Thursday, around 18 hours before a school day would begin on Friday. However, the Observatory recorded almost no rain on Friday, sparking criticism that the government had jumped the gun. Lam, who was the Observatory's director from 2003 to 2009, said he observed that the current government administration has been putting more work into disaster prevention compared to previous administrations. He said there had also been significant progress in coordination across government departments compared to his time as the Observatory's head. 'I think the decision showed respect for people's lives. This really is about how you weigh the importance of safety and other stuff,' Lam added in Cantonese. Asked how he felt when it turned out to be good weather on Friday, Lam said this reflected that 'things were unpredictable' and that 'humans cannot conquer nature.' 'Better safe than sorry' Hong Kong saw the red rainstorm warning issued three times within the span of 24 hours from late Wednesday to Thursday amid the impact of Storm Danas. Danas had lashed China prior to that, with torrential monsoon rain causing deadly landslides and flash floods. At noon on Friday, Chief Secretary Eric Chan – who heads the government's committee on handling extreme weather – stood by the decision to suspend classes 18 hours ahead of time. In a lengthy Facebook post, he said the Observatory's analysis predicted a daily rainfall exceeding 390 millimetres on Thursday and Friday. The figure would be the fifth-highest daily rainfall on record in Hong Kong, or about one-sixth of the city's total rainfall in one year. He acknowledged the difficulty of forecasting rainfall compared to storms and that there was a risk of inaccuracy when making early warnings. But the government's responsibility was to protect lives, he said, adding that disruption to the public would be minimal because many schools were already starting summer holidays. 'So we decided to make an early warning… we believe it is better to be safe than sorry,' Chan said, adding that doing so would minimise chaos at the last minute. In the comments on Chan's post, some called the decision to cancel school so far in advance rash. It caused disappointment for students who were looking forward to their graduation ceremonies and other school-wide events, they said.
