Advertisement
Typhoon Hato
Hong KongEducation

The heroes of Hato: how Hong Kong firemen braved floods to rescue villagers

Rescue team describes perilous operation amid No 10 storm to bring residents in battered coastal area to safety

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
(From left) Yau Tong Fire Station fireman Suen Yat-hing, station officer Poon Sung-fong and senior fireman Choi Ho. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Christy Leung
Hong Kong firefighters have recalled a harrowing mission to rescue trapped residents in flood-hit areas last month as the biggest storm in five years slammed the region, injuring 130 people in the city and killing 10 in Macau.
On August 23, Typhoon Hato, named after the Japanese word for pigeon, triggered the No 10 signal – the highest in Hong Kong’s storm warning system – and lashed the city with torrential rain and hurricane force winds.

As Hato swept past the south of Hong Kong, floods inundated coastal area Lei Yue Mun and the fishing village of Tai O, where sea swells surged up to heights of 3.85 metres. Dozens of residents were trapped and had to be evacuated.

Advertisement
The Lei Yue Mun waterfront is battered by surging waves, flooding coastal houses. Photo: Sam Tsang
The Lei Yue Mun waterfront is battered by surging waves, flooding coastal houses. Photo: Sam Tsang

“This is the strongest storm I have encountered in my 20 years of service,” Choi Ho, a senior fireman from Yau Tong Fire Station, said. “The storm destroyed railings. It was the first time I saw a No 10 storm destroy the foundation of a house.”

Choi was among the nine firefighters who were called in to rescue three residents trapped in their house in Ma Wan Village in Lei Yue Mun at 8.53am – less than 10 minutes before the team finished their 24-hour shift that day.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x