Interdepartmental pre-typhoon tabletop exercise concludes successfully
The Security Bureau held an interdepartmental pre-typhoon tabletop exercise today (May 7) at the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) in the Central Government Offices to enhance the emergency response and collaboration of bureaux, departments and other parties concerned in handling possible emergency situations if Hong Kong is struck by a super typhoon.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory's forecast, five to eight tropical cyclones are expected to hit Hong Kong this year. Thetropical cyclone season will beginin June or earlier, and end in October or later. To ensure comprehensive preparedness, representatives from around 40 bureaux, departments and other parties concerned participated in this year's exercise.
The exercise simulateda scenario in which a super typhoon and heavy rainstorm battered Hong Kong, causing widespread destruction, property damage and serious blockage of main thoroughfares. Participants were required to outline their response measures under different scenarios. The exercise served as an interdisciplinary platform for the participants to share their experience and expertise, and allowed the participating parties to gain a deeper understanding of the operation of the EMSC as well as their respective roles and responsibilities, with a view to enhancing the preparedness and interdepartmental collaboration in responding to threats posed by super typhoons.
The Government will continue to strengthen the overall preparedness and response capabilities to address the challenges posed by extreme weather, protecting Hong Kong people's lives and properties.
Source: AI-generated images
Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire
The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:
Financial and welfare support
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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about $3.7 billion as of noon today (December 21). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $4 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.
Accommodation support
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Currently, there is still a supply of more than 1 000 units that can provide affected residents with longer-term accommodation. The transitional housing and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) projects in different districts can altogether provide around 500 units at the moment. Moreover, Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun and Runway 1331 at Kai Tak can provide a supply of around 900 units.
As of this morning, a total of 572 residents are staying in hotel rooms through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, and 563 residents are staying in youth hostels/camps. Another 3 513 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, units from the HKHS or Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.
The Transport Department (TD) has been steering public transport operators (PTOs) to enhance services of franchised buses, green minibuses and residents' services (RS) by deploying additional vehicles and manpower to support residents affected by the fire who have been admitted into transitional housing in various districts, facilitating transfers to other services to and from different districts. Among them, an additional RS will be introduced connecting CONCORDIA Tsat Sing Kong and CONCORDIA Sheung Yue River in Yuen Long and Tai Po Market Station. The TD will closely co-ordinate with operating organisations of transitional housing projects concerned and PTOs to cater for residents' commuting needs.
Relief supplies and donations
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The supplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received around 2 000 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, over 29 000 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.
Investigation and regulation
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Relevant policy bureaux and departments continue to follow up on the fire investigation and regulatory efforts.
Source: AI-found images
