Devastating effects of Typhoon Mangkhut not enough to convince Hongkongers to be prepared for next big storm, new study says
- Survey by Chinese University finds that half of respondents do not plan on preparing for future storms
- Researchers call lack of concern among city’s residents worrying
The devastating effects of Typhoon Mangkhut appear to have had little impact on Hong Kong’s residents, if a new study from Chinese University is any indication.
A storm that injured 400 people, downed thousands of trees, smashed hundreds of windows and paralysed the city for days afterwards, Mangkhut was one of the most powerful typhoons on record.
But a survey shows some Hongkongers are not prepared – and have no plans to prepare – for another storm of similar ferocity striking in the future.
Only 52 per cent of those surveyed said they planned to search for updated typhoon information, stock up on food and drinking water, or stock up on basic medicines, according to the results of the study released on Thursday.
“The situation is worrying,” said Professor Emily Chan Ying-yang, of the faculty of medicine at Chinese University. “When natural disasters strike us, people are not fully prepared to deal with them – that’s what we are most concerned about.”
The study also showed that 33.1 per cent of respondents were injured, or had been affected, by Mangkhut. Meanwhile, 15 per cent said they went outside after the typhoon signal No 8 was issued, and in the majority of those cases the journey was non-essential.