Ragasa’s wake brings pride and important lessons for Hong Kong

Last week, Hong Kong braved the strongest storm of the year in the world as Super Typhoon Ragasa ripped through the city as well as the Philippines, Taiwan, Macau and coastal mainland China, causing havoc.

Compared with the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, Hong Kong did well this time. Mangkhut sank boats, damaged infrastructure, left roads strewn with debris, injured hundreds of people and caused economic losses estimated at HK$4.6 billion (US$591.3 million). Economist Simon Lee Siu-po estimates losses from Ragasa at HK$2-3 billion, around half the damage done by Mangkhut. Lee says better preparations by the city helped reduce losses.

Credit must be given where it is due. Having learned lessons from Mangkhut, the government had already put together a steering committee on handling extreme weather. It did a good job with Ragasa, especially when it came to preparing the public ahead of the storm. The 36-hour grounding of flights was clearly communicated, with the airport remaining open and ready to shelter and care for stranded travellers.

Suspension of school was announced ahead of time as opposed to the usual practice of making announcements on the morning of the suspension. Drainage services had worked around the clock to clear drains in areas prone to flooding.

A little more than two months ago, the committee came under significant criticism for cancelling classes ahead of tropical cyclone Danas in anticipation of a projected fifth-largest daily rainfall that never materialised. The fact that it happened to be the last day of school for many students was unfortunate. Weather remains notoriously difficult to predict, even with today’s technological capabilities.

The fact that most parts of the city were able to resume business and school hours after Ragasa is a testament to the efforts of many people working quietly behind the scenes and around the clock as part of the city’s emergency response. While many of us waited out the storm in the comfort of our homes, these people were braving the elements, clearing debris and more.

  

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