bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jeffie Lam

Naomi Ng

Hong Kong’s leader on Friday urged the city’s residents not to be storm chasers as the government ramped up its preparations for the arrival of Super Typhoon Mangkhut.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor convened a second meeting to coordinate contingency plans among 30 departments and organisations on how to react to the monster storm.
The chief executive said her administration had prepared early for the arrival of the super typhoon, and the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre – spearheaded by the Security Bureau – would be activated soon after the strong wind signal No 3 had been issued.
Super Typhoon Mangkhut smashes into Philippines
The Hong Kong Observatory issued the standby signal No 1 at 10.20pm on Friday, meaning a tropical cyclone would come within 800 kilometres of Hong Kong. It will consider issuing the No 3 signal on Saturday.
Mangkhut is predicted to bring destructive winds and rain to the city on Sunday.




“I hope citizens will stay indoors and not go outside, especially not to check out the storm surge, or surf, as that would not only put themselves in danger, but also put pressure on rescue services,” Lam said.
“We are taking every step to prepare Hong Kong for this typhoon. In Hong Kong, we have a duty as the government to make all the necessary preparations, included mobilising all the relevant departments to make precautionary measures. During the typhoon we need to be able to respond effectively to mitigate any damage or any loss of lives and injuries.”
How climate change can cause more super typhoons
In preparation for the heavy rain expected, the Drainage Services Department is installing flood barriers in low-lying areas such as Tai O, Lei Yue Mun and Heng Fa Chuen, while the Home Affairs Department is ready to help residents evacuate if necessary, Lam said.


That included arranging coaches to ferry residents from Tai O, where many seniors live.
More than 40 temporary shelters would open to the public once the No 3 signal was issued, Lam added.
She also said the relevant departments were trying to draw in extra manpower, in a bid to restore the city to its normal state as soon as possible once Mangkhut had passed.
Asked if she feared the super typhoon would put infrastructure, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, in danger, Lam said the bridge, and other public work projects, had been designed to survive natural disasters to a certain extent.
One year on from Hato’s deadly hit, is Macau better prepared for a monster storm?
Design flaws in the multibillion-dollar mega bridge were highlighted in July, after video footage emerged showing serious flooding and water seepage in a basement inside the passenger clearance building on an artificial island, on the Hong Kong side of the project.
Highways Department deputy director Chui Wing-wah said the bridge was designed to “very high standards” and had been subject to thorough safety tests.
“We are confident the bridge will withstand very strong winds,” he said.
Chui added that what was more important was that they would deploy enough staff to monitor the infrastructure during the storm, which meant they would be able to respond in the first instance in case of any incidents.

China’s National Meteorological Centre said on Friday at 6pm the maximum sustained wind speed near Mangkhut’s centre reached 65 metres per second (234km/h or 145mph) as it moved through the Philippines. It warranted level 17 – the highest – on the centre’s typhoon wind speed scale.
It forecast that by Sunday the typhoon would weaken to level 14 to 16, or with a wind speed of 45 to 52 metres per second near its centre.
Engineer warns for safety of mega bridge in massive storm
According to an earlier report from Hong Kong-based state-owned newspaper Wen Wei Po, which cited the bridge authority’s chief engineer Su Quanke, the bridge was built to withstand typhoons that reached level 16 on the scale.
The main beam of the bridge weighed 420,000 tonnes, which meant it was equivalent to “the weight of 10 “Bird’s Nest” stadiums or 60 Eiffel Towers, and able to withstand level 16 typhoons and magnitude 7 earthquakes”, Su said.






When a typhoon hits Hong Kong

Central under water in 80 years? Hong Kong’s coming climate crisis 

Extreme weather scorecard: Hong Kong, Macau vulnerable in Greater Bay Area as Guangzhou, Shenzhen gird for once-in-200 year storms

Sweltering heat in Hong Kong, extreme weather events worldwide signal need to act on climate change, scientists say

Typhoon Mangkhut

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam warns residents not to take any chances as Super Typhoon Mangkhut looms

Stay indoors and don’t put yourselves or rescue services at risk, chief executive says after convening second meeting to coordinate contingency plans among departments and organisations

Residents in Tai O set up preparations against Typhoon Mangkhut as it approaches Hong Kong. 14SEP18 SCMP / Winson Wong

Carrie Lam says the government is taking every step to prepare Hong Kong for the typhoon. Photo: Winson Wong

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Health & Environment

Stay indoors and don’t put yourselves or rescue services at risk, chief executive says after convening second meeting to coordinate contingency plans among departments and organisations


Stay indoors and don’t put yourselves or rescue services at risk, chief executive says after convening second meeting to coordinate contingency plans among departments and organisations.


Extreme weather