Black rainstorm leaves Hong Kong a flooding mess

The  Hong Kong Observatory issued the black rainstorm warning last night at 11:05 pm and it remained in effect for a record-breaking time of more than 12 hours. All rainstorm warnings were cancelled at 4:45 pm today. The rain bands of Typhoon Haikui brought more than 145.5 millimetres of rain in one hour, the highest hourly rainfall since 1884. The downpour caused flooding in many districts. 

The worst affected  areas included Kowloon Tong  and  Wong Tai Sin.  Much of the lower floors of Wong Tai Sin’s Temple Mall, was under water. Rainwater poured into some  MTR stations, forcing trains to skip certain stops because of flooded platforms.

At around 6 a.m. today, the government announced that all schools would suspend classes for the day. Employers were told to implement typhoon 8 work arrangements.

Kubi Liu, a local 20-year-old student at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, stayed at home in Lee Uk Village in Fanling, New Territories.

“I have seen heavy rain like this before. It’s common in Hong Kong, but rain which causes great damage at such short notice, like last night, is rare. Although the heavy rain brought me joy, the follow-up action and clean-up will take some time and money,” Liu said.

A bus stop was flooded in her neighbourhood. She thought drainage management in the city could be better to avoid severe flooding.
According to Liu, vehicles at Mei Lam, a low-lying area in Sha Tin, were submerged. At some villages in Fanling, minibuses came to a halt because of the flood.

By 11:41 pm, a total of 144 people were treated in public hospitals for flood related injuries, according to the Hospital Authority.

Chief Executive John Lee said that authorities would “review the way announcements were made” to the general public during extreme weather.
“In dealing with extreme weather, we have been doing what is expected under the present system,” Lee said. ‘‘In regards to forecasting rainfall [they] are very unpredictable and [are] always changing,’’ Lee said.

John Lee stressed the need for an alert signal in the future so local people can be more prepared in a rainstorm.