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Following is a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, to a question by the Hon Tam Yiu-chung in the Legislative Council today (June 25):
Question:
It has been reported that due to the rainstorm on the seventh of this month, water and electricity supply to as well as external communication in a number of places on Lantau, such as Tai O, were suspended several days on end, resulting in members of the public criticising the Government's relief efforts as ineffective. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) why it did not activate the operation of the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre that day;
(b) why members of the Civil Aid Service were not sent to Tai O to commence relief work until two days later;
(c) given that the National Emergency Plan for the Relief of Disasters on the Mainland provides that the departments under the Ministry of Civil Affairs at county level shall report the preliminary situation of a disaster to their superiors within two hours after its occurrence, whether the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has a similar requirement, e.g. all District Offices are required to report the situation of a disaster to the Government Secretariat within a specific time after its occurrence; if it has, of the details; if not, how it ensures that the Government knows about the situation of a disaster at once, as well as the immediate and actual needs of victims of the disasters; and
(d) whether it has plans to conduct a comprehensive review in the light of the public criticisms about the Government's performance in relief work on this occasion, including the problems of lack of co-ordination among the government departments concerned and delay in activating the emergency co-ordination mechanism, etc., and make reference to the experiences of other regions in the operation of their emergency disaster relief mechanism, in order to perfect the existing mode; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) Immediately after the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) issued the Black Rainstorm Warning at 6.40am on June 7, the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) of the Government Secretariat, and the emergency coordination or control centres of various emergency service departments had activated the emergency response mechanism in accordance with the "Contingency Plan for Natural Disasters" to assume overall monitoring of the situations as well as the provisions of the required emergency services.
In fact, when the EMSC of the Government Secretariat started operation, the Home Affairs Department (HAD), Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), Lands Department (LandsD), etc. had already activated their emergency co-ordination or control centres in accordance with their departmental contingency plans when the HKO issued the Landslip Warning at an earlier time.
The HKO cancelled the Black Rainstorm Warning at 11am on June 7 and replaced it by a Red Rainstorm Warning, which was later replaced by an Amber Rainstorm Warning at 11.30am. During the period, the EMSC of the Government Secretariat received many reports on flooding and landslide in different districts, among which the more severe incidents included the search and rescue operation carried out by the Fire Services Department (FSD) at the scene of the landslide at Cafeteria Old Beach, and the urgent handling of serious flooding and road closure arrangement by the Highways Department at North Lantau Expressway. The EMSC had coordinated the emergency actions taken by the responsible departments. Having confirmed that appropriate follow-up actions had already been taken by relevant departments, the EMSC ceased operation at 1.45pm and the emergency co-ordination or control centres of the relevant departments continued to provide the required emergency services.
(b) The landslip, road closure and disruption to communication and water supply in Tai O came to the notice of government departments in the morning of June 7, and the departments concerned immediately commenced relief works under the coordination mechanism. The Water Supplies Department (WSD) assigned a vessel to provide water to the residents in Tai O at about 4 pm on the same day. The Police deployed additional officers to the Tai O Pier and Lung Tin Police Post by sea to provide the Tai O residents with emergency support. Through the officers on site and the use of police communication equipment, the Government maintained close contact with the Tai O Rural Committee and the residents to ascertain their condition and needs and provide them with relief information. Moreover, the Transport Department implemented temporary transportation arrangements starting from that day, and provided extra ferry services between Tai O and Tung Chung. In response to the demand of the residents, the frequencies of special ferry services on usual days and holidays were increased to 14 and 17 sailings respectively. The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) and the telecommunication company were also informed to carry out emergency repair of the communication facilities. Meanwhile, after assessing the overall situation in Tai O and the needs of the residents, the government enlisted the service of the Civil Aid Service (CAS) to reinforce the relief works. The CAS sent officers to Tai O and the neighbouring villages on June 9 to assist in removing the debris from the residents' houses, clearing blocked paths and village walkways and distributing emergency supplies.
(c) The HAD will activate the Emergency Coordination Centres (ECC) of the Headquarters and the 18 District Offices in accordance with its contingency plan when a Landslip Warning, a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning, or a Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or above is issued by the HKO. The departmental emergency coordination mechanism can be activated within 15 minutes if an emergency arises during office hours and within 1.5 hours if an emergency arises outside office hours. During its operation, the ECC at district level are required to report to its headquarters hourly on the emergency incidents and the follow-up actions in their districts. The emergency hotlines of their Headquarters will be manned round the clock during the operation of the ECC.
The other emergency services have also put in place their respective contingency plans. When there is a natural disaster or severe weather condition, they will activate their departmental emergency coordination or control centres in accordance with the contingency mechanism to coordinate their emergency efforts and services. For example, when a Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No.8 or above, a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning or a Landslip Warning is issued by the HKO, the CEDD, LandsD, Drainage Services Department, WSD, OFTA, etc. will promptly activate their departmental emergency coordination or control centres to carry out emergency work in a coordinated manner and update each other of the situation every hour or as and when the situation requires. These reports together with the reports of HAD will also be uploaded onto the Government's emergency Bulletin Board System so that other departments will be fully apprised of the situation.
Also, whenever there is severe weather condition, for example, when a Tropical Warning Signal No. 8 or above, a Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or a Tsunami Warning is issued by the HKO, the EMSC of the Government Secretariat will be activated. It will monitor the emergency incident reports supplied by the departments and their work progress, and provide offices of principal officials with the latest situation reports at regular intervals. If necessary, the EMSC will coordinate and give support to the relevant bureaux and departments to ensure that necessary emergency relief will be provided to the residents affected as soon as possible.
(d) The Government is aware that the provision of prompt and effective emergency service is vital for the residents to restore their normal lives. The situation on June 7 was rare as heavy rainstorm triggered extensive flooding and landslips, causing serious disruption to traffic in many districts, while suspension of telecommunication network, transportation, and water supply occurred at the same time in a single community.
The Government will learn from the incident and conduct a review on the ways to further improve its emergency response system. Besides enhancing the collation of situation reports and impact assessment at district level, consideration will also be given to improve the communication and coordination among departments. In doing so, the Government will be able to grasp more accurately the situation of individual districts and improve the emergency response and relief systems, so as to ensure that prompt and effective assistance will be provided to the affected residents.
Ends/Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:11
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