Hong Kong’s Greatest Flood in 140 Years: Information Disclosure and Job Suspension
By Letitia Wong
Background - what happened in the flood?
On 7th September 2023, Wong Tai Sin experienced an unprecedented view - rainwater flooded all over MTR station like a waterfall, rainwater engulfed a ground floor restaurant and flooded the whole ground floor of the mall, residents surfed back home using wood boards on rainwater. This was never something Hong Kongers would have expected in years. The residual rain of Haikui brought Hong Kong the highest recorded rain volume in 140 years since 1884, recording over 600 mm of rain volume that exceeds a quarter of annual rainfall. The environmental disaster brought 144 injuries and 2 deaths.
At 23:05, the Hong Kong Observatory issued the Black Signal, the highest level of storm hazard. The hazard was sustained for over 7 hours, recording the highest issuing duration. Only on September 8th at 06:08, the HKSAR government announced the suspension of class and the entry of extreme conditions. Despite having such record breaking weather, the government was blamed for having an ineffective announcement system and only announcing the suspension of school in the morning. Citizens were concerned by the government’s reluctance to announce job suspension, when most public transport was severely disrupted by the extreme weather. This has resulted in a huge public discontent.
Aftermath:
With a huge downpour, Wong Tai Sin MTR station was severely flooded and was temporarily closed between 7/9 and 8/9. Another significant landslide occurred in Redhill Peninsula, subsequently revealing the existence of unauthorised building works which was then under further investigation. Chief Executive John Lee had described the rain as an incident occurring “once in every hundred years”.
Controversy: Was the information announcement flawed?
At 23:44, the local authorities announced that Shenzhen would be discharging water from their reservoir at 00:00. This has received public dispute which argued that there was only a 15-minute time frame for Northern District residents to prepare for any possible flooding. The authority announcement is only disseminated via TV news and government statements. Adding to the controversy was the Authority’s denial of the water discharge rumour on 1st September.
The crux of the controversy lies in the untimely information, and the remedy to increase public attention was to readopt the Emergency Alert System.
The HKSAR government promulgated the Emergency Alert System in 2020. In the case of extreme weather or serious public disturbance, an emergency message would be sent to the Hong Kong public via mobile network. The system was not used until 2022, when a message announced that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital would now receive COVID-19 patients and advised other patients not to go to the hospital. At the time when the message was sent to Hong Kong users, it was accompanied by a 10-second-long vibration and siren sound effect. An overall negative experience was reported by the general public as referred to by the Chief Executive John Lee during a press conference. The controversy came in two folds. First, many perceived the act as unnecessary. The general public believed the physical effect of the system was not compatible with the content. Second, the realisation of the high cost associated with the invention of the emergency system caused outrage. After its first public usage, the media exposed the actual cost invested in the system. The HKSAR government spent over 150 million to set up the emergency system which was used for the first time after 2 years of its establishment.
The question of why the government did not utilise the system to announce the extreme weather and Shenzhen reservoir discharge was responded to by the Chief Secretary for Administration; Eric Chan believes the different hazard announcement made by the Hong Kong Observatory was sufficient for public alert.
Without a doubt, any information dissemination about the extreme weather aligns with the original intention of setting up the Emergency Alert System. In comparison to the administrative actions taken by Shenzhen or neighboring city Macau, the Hong Kong government was unable to provide the most timely response and most accessible information to the general public. Thus, the most accessible way to achieve this is by utilising the emergency alert system again. Indeed, this was an unprecedented weather situation that caused chaos in the city, signifying a need for reform over a timely information disclosure system. Since 2019, which saw an increasing political bias from news channels, the public has become more dependent on online information and social media. Thus, the emergency alert system would be the most effective and timely tool to remind citizens of any urgent events. The government should simultaneously release hazard warnings through gadgets and traditional media. A more rigid guideline should be released to the public to outline when the system should be used. For instance, when the highest weather signal is issued, the system would send alert messages to the public. This is to ensure a wider public knowledge on how money is spent on the system, as well as to facilitate a more timely information disclosure.
Should extreme conditions lead to job suspension?
Not only did the delayed announcement stir up controversy among Northern District citizens, but unclear guidelines to labour suspension also incited a debate. At 0500 on 8/9, the Labour Department only announced the presence of extreme conditions. Information was nonetheless unclear whether labourers are still required to go to work. According to the Labour Department’s announcement, employers should not ask staff to go back to their workplace (other than crucial staff). The announcement however does not have a legally binding nature and was used as a guideline. Controversy consequently arose over the government's insistence not to announce a job suspension. A number of workers were still asked to attend their work at their workplace which had aroused discontent.. The suspension of traffic due to extreme weather has also caused chaos in different districts.
In comparison, Lo Wu citizens are suspended from work for 1 day in light of the severe flooding in the district. In Hong Kong, there were no legal terms that granted the government the authority to call for a city-wide job suspension. Nonetheless, guidelines provided by the Labour Department, specifying only crucial staff have to attend at the workplace during extreme weather, have long been ambiguous.
Referencing the policies taken by places such as Shenzhen, job suspension could provide a safer option for employees. The argument that Hong Kong’s economic activity could be impeded if the government is given the power of job suspension is not a valid one. Under extreme weather, stock markets in Hong Kong are also suspended. After COVID-19, working from home has become a new option for corporations. Thus, maintaining the lowest level of critical services whilst calling for a job suspension for the sake of safeguarding labour rights should be emphasised and practical under such a situation.
Under the influence of extreme weather and global warming, the Hong Kong Observatory predicted this would only be the tip of the iceberg. This is indeed a golden opportunity to remind the government how to improve its information announcement system and investigate the feasibility of a city-wide job suspension. Could citizens avoid the fate of flooding homes when another extreme weather hits? Could workers stay at home instead of worrying whether they could go to work on time? The government would have to play a huge role.
References
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