Hong Kong car owners race to higher ground to escape Ragasa’s feared storm surge

Hongkongers were rushing to park their cars on higher ground and in covered spaces on Tuesday as flooding from Super Typhoon Ragasa was expected to inundate low-lying and coastal areas.

Several major indoor car parks had long queues stretching out of their entrances in the morning, including the Tai Po Mega Mall car park, which accommodates more than 1,000 vehicles.

Meanwhile, some underground and open-air car parks were closed or evacuated as a precautionary measure.

A storm surge of about two metres is expected on Wednesday morning, when Ragasa is forecast to be closest to Hong Kong, with the coastal water level reaching around 3.5 to four metres above chart datum, and as high as four to five metres in Tolo Harbour.

In Chai Wan, the underground car park at Wan Tsui Shopping Centre has been closed ahead of Ragasa. The Post understands that it has been shut since Monday morning in anticipation of the typhoon.

Managed by Link Reit, the car park is prone to flooding and vehicles parked there were badly damaged during recent black rainstorms.

The car park’s entrances had been sealed, with its main entrance protected by flood barriers, the Post observed.