- Government appeals to employers to observe work arrangements for staff similar to those under a typhoon warning signal No 8
- Black rainstorm warning issued for first time since October 2021, extreme weather to last until noon at least
A woman tries to get in a taxi in Choi Hung as rain pours down. Photo: Edmond SoHong Kong suspended classes on Friday, with employers urged to let staff work under typhoon arrangements as record rainfall hit the city overnight, leaving commuters trapped in vehicles in traffic jams and pedestrians stranded on streets that had turned into rivers.
Warning that the extreme weather would last at least until noon, the government announced before 6am that all day schools would be suspended. It also urged employers to refer to arrangements under typhoon signal No 8, give staff safety priority and adopt reasonable and flexible work arrangements.
As of 7am, authorities had recorded 40 reports from members of the public of flooding.
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The MTR Corporation suspended services between Shek Kip Mei and Choi Hung due to flooding near the Wong Tai Sin section of the Kwun Tong line. Train services for Choi Hung to Tiu Keng Leng will be maintained at 12-minute intervals, while those from Whampoa to Shek Kip Mei will run every six minutes. The rail giant said it could not provide shuttle buses because of weather conditions.
The highest measurement of rainfall in an hour was reported since records began in 1884, with 158.1mm (6.2 inches) of rain falling at the Observatory headquarters between 11pm and midnight on Thursday. The black rainstorm alert was issued on Thursday night, marking the first such warning since October 2021.
The torrential rain, which continued into Friday morning, also forced the closure of border control points at Heung Yuen Wai and Man Kam To, as well as services at local immigration offices, all public clinics and postal operations.
Videos being shared on social media showed scenes of Hong Kong streets turning into rushing rivers and people being caught up in flooding around the city, while one clip showed a swamped underground railway station.
The black warning, signifying rain exceeding 70mm an hour has fallen or is expected to fall generally over Hong Kong, was issued at 11.05pm on Thursday, replacing the red alert raised at 9.50pm. The amber warning, the lowest in the three-tier system, was raised just 25 minutes earlier.
The Observatory earlier said heavy rain was especially affecting the northern part of the New Territories, including Sheung Shui, Ta Kwu Ling and the Sha Tau Kok area. The heavy rain had resulted in and could continue to cause significant road flooding and traffic congestion, it warned.
The forecaster on Friday predicted intense rain and thunderstorms would continue to develop over the south of the Pearl River Delta in the morning and move towards Hong Kong under the influence of a trough of low pressure.
Long Win Bus and Citybus suspended all bus services, except airport routes S1, S64C and S64X, until further notice to ensure the safety of commuters and staff. KMB at 9am said it would resume limited services for some routes.
Kan Hok-hei, KMB head of corporate communications and public affairs, said in the morning that more than 20 buses were stuck on roads due to the heavy rain. The stranded vehicles were located in various locations including on Lung Cheung Road, Sha Tau Kok Road and in Sha Tin, Kan said.
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He added that the company aimed to provide more bus services by noon, when the weather was expected to improve.
In a Facebook post in the early hours of Friday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said: “I am very concerned about the severe flooding in many areas of Hong Kong.”
He urged the public to stay in a safe place, saying various government departments were taking action to handle the situation in affected areas.
The sudden downpours which started on Thursday night caused flash flooding across the city, with Eastern district on Hong Kong Island also among the worst-hit areas. In one incident, water gushed into a bus near Chai Wan Road.
The water was ankle-deep inside the double-decker, but the vehicle managed to navigate through the flooded roads without breaking down.
Roads in Causeway Bay and Tin Hau were also submerged, with rainwater flooding a double-decker near Happy Valley.
Rain also streamed into the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, one of the main road arteries between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, forcing vehicles to greatly reduce their speed as they travelled through the centimetres-deep water.
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In eastern Kowloon, Lung Cheung Road near Temple Mall in Wong Tai Sin was severely flooded. An online clip showed a car being carried backwards by the flood for at least 10 metres.
A man believed to be the driver was outside the vehicle trying to save it. He held onto the car with one hand and a lamp post with the other, slightly slowing down the vehicle’s movement.
The driver of another car chose to sit on the roof, sheltered by an umbrella, while seeking safety above the floodwaters.
In another clip, a woman holding an umbrella struggled to stop herself from being swept away by muddy water roaring down a road. She was carried along by the flood for about 50 metres.
In Hung Hom, parts of Wuhu Street and nearby Bulkeley Street were flooded, with residents wading through water and vehicles crawling along.
Train stations did not escape the downpours. At about 12.30am, rail operator the MTR Corporation announced that stations between Whampoa and Kwun Tong had to be closed with passengers told to leave for their own safety.
At Wong Tai Sin station, rainwater flooded a platform.
“The entire escalator is full of water … We are like sailing in a vessel,” said a woman on board a train at the station in a social media post, uploading a video clip showing the river-like platform.
“Even Wong Tai Sin can’t save you,” she joked, referring to the temple god in the district.
Another online video clip showed serious flooding in Choi Hung station.
The rail operator said: “Recovery work [on the Kwun Tong line] will continue as far as practicable during non-traffic hours. [Friday’s] train service arrangements will be announced based on the progress of recovery.”
Earlier, at about 11pm on Thursday, the operator announced the temporary closure of some exits at Chai Wan and Sheung Shui MTR stations was necessary due to flooding on nearby roads. The concourse of Chan Wan station also experienced some flooding.
It was the same story at some shopping centres, including a Wong Tai Sin mall where chairs were spotted floating in the water.
At a mall in Wan Tsui Estate in Chai Wan, the ground floor with filled with ankle-deep rainwater. A car park in the same estate was also flooded, with water rising to about half the height of a seven-seater vehicle.
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In the New Territories, a minibus was trapped during the downpour in Sheung Shui, with muddy floodwater streaming into the vehicle, forcing passengers to raise their legs to avoid getting wet.
In the Sha Tau Kok area near the border with mainland China, rainfall exceeding 150mm in two hours was recorded.
Sha Tau Kok Road was waterlogged, causing vehicles to travel slowly. Residents reported being stranded on buses.
On Ting Kok Road in Tai Po, flooding near Tsim Uk village caused a 2km traffic jam on the Tai Mei Tuk-bound lane.
Vehicles could not move for at least two hours, forcing several fire engines to use the opposite Tai Po-bound lane.
Some residents, including an SCMP reporter, tried to leave Tai Po for a hotel in Sha Tin, but found the Yuen Shin Road entrance to Tolo Harbour was blocked by flooding. So drivers had to circle around to Tai Wo to get onto the highway.
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At the Hyatt Regency, close to 10 residents queued to check in to the hotel as they were unable to get home.
Meanwhile, at 11.40pm, the government said it had been informed by Shenzhen authorities about the reservoir discharge, with residents next to the Shenzhen, Ng Tung and Sheung Yu rivers on high alert.
North district councillor Hau Chi-keung said at 1am that several households in Tak Yuet Lau, next to the Shenzhen River and Ng Tung River, could be at high risk, but because of the flooded roads, authorities could not reach them.
The government said various departments, including the District Office (North), Drainage Services, Police, Fire Services, Water Supplies and Social Welfare had been informed about the water release plan and would take any necessary measures.
The District Office was also making arrangements to tell local residents about the appropriate actions to take.
The Observatory said that under the influence of a trough of low pressure associated with the remnants of Typhoon Haikui, there would be showers and thunderstorms over the coast of Guangdong in the next few days. Sunny intervals were expected to return early next week.