‘Extreme conditions’ notice not a stop-work order, Eric Chan tells Hongkongers

An “extreme conditions” announcement in Hong Kong does not constitute an order to suspend work, the No 2 official has said, following criticism that the government did not make such a declaration to prevent workers from commuting ahead of Tuesday’s record-breaking downpours.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki on Saturday addressed criticism for failing to convene a meeting of a steering committee on handling extreme weather that he chairs.

He said that members of the public were well protected as the committee’s emergency coordination command centre was automatically activated, with all-out support across all government departments to address devastation.

“The ‘extreme conditions’ announcement is not a work-suspension order. I hope members of the public do not have this kind of misunderstanding,” he told a radio programme.

The highest-level black rainstorm warning remained in force for more than 11 hours on Tuesday, as the poor weather triggered flash floods and landslides.

The city has already recorded the highest number of black rainstorm signals for a single year, with the Hong Kong Observatory issuing four such warnings within eight days as of Tuesday.