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The Government has put in place suitable measures in response to the threat of Typhoon Usagi and activated the inter-departmental emergency monitoring mechanism.
The Government has an established monitoring mechanism and response system for responding to the threat of typhoon and other natural disasters, a spokesperson for the Security Bureau said today (September 21). The Security Bureau has activated the tier-one monitoring on Thursday (September 19) and conducted a test running on the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) to ensure its readiness for operation.
While Typhoon Usagi is approaching Hong Kong, the Government has upgraded the monitoring level to tier-two to monitor the situations more closely. The Security Bureau has coordinated all relevant departments and alerted all emergency rescue teams and units to get prepared for the typhoon.
The Fire Services Department and the Police Force have made suitable deployment for responding to emergency rescues. The Home Affairs Department has activated the district precautionary measures. The department, in co-operation with the Social Welfare Department (SWD), has already begun to monitor the adverse effects that may brought by the typhoon to the districts. The district temporary shelters are all ready and will be opened for people in need. Five SWD emergency relief teams (including one on the Hong Kong Island, one in Kowloon and three in the New Territories) are also ready for deployment in an emergency.
The Drainage Services Department has inspected flooding black spots, checked and cleaned drainages to ensure they are in good working conditions. The Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre of the Transport Department is closely monitoring the weather and road conditions to obtain the most updated information. If necessary, it will escalate its operation to a higher level for better coordination of the public transport and formulation of suitable transport contingency plan.
Furthermore, to respond to the possible threat of Typhoon Usagi, the Security Bureau has further reviewed the contingency plan and measures on natural disaster today to ensure their appropriateness in implementation. Depending on the prevailing situation, the bureau may further escalate the typhoon monitoring level and advance the activation of the EMSC for better co-ordination of resource and preparation of all departments.
The Government will closely monitor the movement of Typhoon Usagi and weather situation through the Hong Kong Observatory and issue relevant warning promptly. Members of the public are again urged to take appropriate precautionary measures against strong winds.
Ends/Saturday, September 21, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:48
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