Following is a question by the Hon Chan Chun-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (May 6):
 
Question:
 
     Tai O, situated in a low-lying area, has frequently become a flooding blackspot during typhoons and heavy rain. In this regard, the Government has, over the years, implemented various flood prevention works and conducted various drills in Tai O. In relation to the disaster preventive measures implemented in Tai O, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as prior to the arrival of typhoons and heavy rain, the Islands District Office will acquire certain premises (such as the rural committee office, integrated services centres and the community work office) to serve as temporary shelters, of the proportion of Tai O's total population these shelters can accommodate; and whether an assessment has been made regarding the capacity of these shelters to meet the disaster prevention needs of Tai O residents;
 
(2) as it is learnt that the Islands District Office, in collaboration with relevant government departments and local organisations, will organise from time to time rescue and evacuation drills in the event of serious flooding in Tai O, whether statistics have been compiled on the number of residents participating in each drill over the past three years; and whether residents' opinions on the content of the drills and the simulated scenarios have been collected; if so, of the details; if not the reasons for that; and
 
(3) as the elderly constitute a large proportion of the Tai O residents and they may require more time to receive and understand new information, whether the authorities have deployed manpower to specifically promote to elderly residents methods of self-protection during typhoons or heavy rain, as well as support measures provided by the Government; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government has always attached great importance to the response to extreme weather conditions. As Tai O is situated in a low-lying area, severe flooding may occur under extreme weather. The Islands District Office (IsDO), in collaboration with other relevant departments, including the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the Fire Services Department (FSD), the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), the Social Welfare Department (SWD), the Drainage Services Department (DSD), has jointly formulated the Alert System and Emergency Response Plan for Serious Flooding in Tai O (the Emergency Response Plan) to facilitate timely and appropriate contingency arrangements to be made, thereby minimising the impact of flooding on the Tai O community.
 
     When the HKO forecasts that the sea level in Tai O may reach 3.0 metres (above chart datum) within 24 hours, the Emergency Response Plan will be partially activated, and relevant government departments will implement flood protection measures. For example, the DSD will, depending on the situation, install flood barriers at appropriate locations (such as along the banks of the Tai O Creek and other riverbanks), and place sandbags at various locations within the district for use by residents and businesses; the IsDO and the SWD will co-ordinate with the Tai O Rural Committee, local organisations, Care Teams and relevant frontline departments to contact residents living in low-lying areas and provide assistance with regard to their specific circumstances and requests, including elevating large furniture and electrical appliances in their homes and contacting their relatives and friends living outside Tai O for temporary accommodation.
 
     If the HKO forecasts that the sea level in Tai O may reach 3.3 metres (above chart datum) in the coming few hours, the Emergency Response Plan will be fully activated. The HKO will issue early warnings via mobile phone text messages to relevant government departments and Tai O resident and fishermen representatives. The IsDO will contact the relevant units and departments to confirm that they have received the messages and remind them to urge local residents to seek refuge at temporary shelters, transit centres or other safe places (such as the homes of relatives and friends outside Tai O) if necessary. The IsDO will also mobilise the disciplined services, including the HKPF, the FSD and the Civil Aid Service (CAS), to go to Tai O to participate in evacuation and rescue operations, and to urge and/or assist residents in seeking temporary shelter at the aforementioned safe locations.
 
     Our reply to the captioned question is as follows:
 
(1) Once the Emergency Response Plan is fully activated, the Tai O Rural Committee Office, the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association Tai O Community Work Office, the Tai O Branch of the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council Tung Chung Integrated Service Centre, and the Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial College will, depending on the circumstances, be opened as temporary shelters, whilst selected units in Lung Tin Estate will also be used as a temporary transit centre to provide temporary shelter for residents in need. These shelters and transit centre could offer temporary accommodation to some 200 persons in total. Over the past three years, the Emergency Response Plan was fully activated on five occasions, and the average utilisation rate of the said shelters and transit centre amounted to about 4.4 per cent during the period. As many Tai O residents prefer to stay with their relatives or friends outside the district before extreme weather hits, and only return to Tai O after it has passed, there has been no shortage of shelter space for residents within the Tai O district.
 
(2) Every year, the IsDO, in collaboration with relevant departments and local organisations, conducts an inter-departmental exercise in Tai O based on the Emergency Response Plan. The primary objective of the exercise is to familiarise frontline personnel with the rescue protocol. Participants of the exercise include eight government departments (Note 1), four local organisations  (Note 2), the Tai O Rural Committee, the Lantau Care Team, and a number of Tai O residents, totalling some 250 persons. Prior to the exercise, the IsDO sends letters to all households and businesses in Tai O to inform them of arrangements of the exercise, enclosing a summary of the Emergency Response Plan and flood safety guidelines for their reference. Upon the completion of the exercise, the IsDO immediately convenes an inter-departmental debriefing to gather feedback from participants on the content and arrangements of the exercise, with a view to learning from the experience for continuous enhancement of the effectiveness of the exercise.
 
(3) Before the arrival of a typhoon, the IsDO will, in collaboration with the Tai O Rural Committee and the Lantau Care Team, disseminate information on typhoon and flood precautionary measures to local residents and businesses. Furthermore, in the afternoon of the day of the aforementioned exercise, the IsDO will also join hands with relevant local organisations to hold a seminar on severe flood preparedness for Tai O residents. The seminar will explain the causes of flooding in Tai O, the preparatory and contingency measures to be taken prior to the arrival of storm surges, etc, so as to enable residents to prepare for the upcoming typhoon season. Information cards setting out the emergency contact numbers of relevant departments and local organisations will also be distributed to residents, to ensure that the residents have the most updated information for accessing assistance.

     Each year, the IsDO also shares the list of high-risk elderly residents in Tai O, as compiled and updated by the SWD, with the HKPF and the FSD for internal reference when conducting rescue operations. In the event of potential serious flooding in Tai O, the IsDO will join forces with relevant government departments, local organisations and Care Teams to implement a series of contingency measures for the elderly on the list. These measures include getting in touch with the elderly concerned to remind them to remain vigilant; urging them to seek refuge at temporary shelters, transit centres or other safe locations; as well as assisting in elevating their furniture, electrical appliances, etc, with a view to protecting their lives and property.
 
Note 1: Including the IsDO, the HKPF, the FSD, the CAS, the HKO, the DSD, the SWD and the Housing Department.
 
Note 2: Including the Tai O Branch of the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council Tung Chung Integrated Service Centre, the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association Tai O Community Work Office, the Hong Kong Red Cross, and the Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial College.

Ends/Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:30

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