Government completes tabletop exercise under "government-wide mobilisation" level to consolidate and enhance mobilisation capabilities
The Civil Service Bureau (CSB) today (June 25) conducted a tabletop exercise under the "government-wide mobilisation" level, codenamed "Exercise Touchdown III", which focused on testing the mobilisation efficiency of all government departments and the effectiveness of the interdepartmental communication mechanism, with a view to further familiarising departments with the operation of the mobilisation protocol, as well as consolidating and enhancing the Government's interdepartmental mobilisation and emergency response capabilities.
During the exercise, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, received a briefing from colleagues on their communications with different departments.
The exercise simulated a scenario in which a super typhoon was approaching Hong Kong and its associated torrential rain might result in serious flooding in some low-lying areas. It was therefore necessary for the Government to promptly mobilise a significant number of staff across departments to form a Quick Response Unit to provide timely support. In accordance with the requirement of the "government-wide mobilisation" level, all bureaux and departments (B/Ds), as well as the Independent Commission Against Corruption, have to arrange around 10 000 designated personnel to be on standby through the use of the interdepartmental communication mechanism established for the "government-wide mobilisation" level.
Mrs Yeung said that the exercise process was generally smooth, fully demonstrating departments' progressive enhancements in alertness and responsiveness under the "government-wide mobilisation" level. The interdepartmental communication mechanism can also continue to support the operation of the mobilisation protocol in a highly efficient manner. The successful completion of the exercise is an affirmation of the mature operation of the mobilisation protocol, and once again showcases the flexibility, efficiency and solidarity of the civil service, demonstrating the current-term Government's determination in enhancing the emergency response capabilities of government staff.
The CSB will continue to conduct exercises at appropriate times in the future so that the relevant parties could further familiarise themselves with the procedures and arrangements of the mobilisation protocol, and remain vigilant to ensure decisive responses are made in the event of major incidents.
The Chief Executive announced in the 2022 Policy Address the enhancement of the mobilisation protocol, which is an important initiative of the current-term Government to further improve governance, improve systemic resilience and enhance the Government's emergency response capabilities, ensuring that the Government can mobilise government staff in a more organised, systematic and efficient manner in case of major incidents to achieve the objective of "early planning and early intervention". In September 2023, the Government activated the mobilisation protocol twice, with more than 600 government staff from 16 B/Ds mobilised to participate in operations assisting in the recovery work following the passage of Super Typhoon Saola and the torrential rain.
Government completes tabletop exercise under "government-wide mobilisation" level to consolidate and enhance mobilisation capabilities Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
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 $3.4 billion as of noon today (December 16). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $3.7 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.
The Government earlier announced that a living allowance from the Support Fund will be provided to each affected household, and the amount has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000. As of today, 1 906 cases have been processed. In addition, the Government will provide families of each deceased victim with a token of solidarity of $200,000, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 134 cases have been processed. The allowance will be disbursed in phases.
Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1 980 affected households, providing the "one social worker per household" follow-up service to more than 4 900 residents. The SWD will maintain liaison with the affected households to provide all necessary assistance while fully supporting the relief work of the Government.
Accommodation support
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As of this morning, a total of 1 236 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 3 354 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, units from the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) or Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.
Currently, there is still an abundant supply of more than 1 000 units that can provide affected residents with longer term accommodation. The transitional housing and HKHS projects in different districts can altogether provide around 400 units at the moment. Besides, Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun and Runway 1331 at Kai Tak can provide a supply of around 900 units.
In addition, staff from the operating organisations of transitional housing and HKHS, as well as volunteers have been working around the clock to furnish the units with essential supplies, striving to meet the needs of the residents. All the currently available units in transitional housing and HKHS projects are equipped with furniture and appliances such as bed frames, mattresses, induction cookers and water heaters, etc, enabling the residents to settle in comfortably. At the same time, members of the community have proactively extended their support by volunteering time and donating essential supplies, offering multifaceted assistance to the affected residents. Taking Good House in Tai Po as an example, over 1 200 volunteers have contributed to provide services such as free transportation and medical support. The project has also received numerous donations, including food, furniture, appliances, and various daily necessities, effectively addressing residents’ immediate needs, reflecting a strong sense of community solidarity and mutual support.
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 over 1 900 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 24 000 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.
Regulation and inspection work
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The Fire Services Department (FSD) has redeployed manpower internally to enhance inspections of fire service installations and equipment (FSIs) in buildings, particularly those undergoing major maintenance, and has proactively inspected the functional status of fire alarms. Should any non-compliance be identified, the department will conduct thorough investigations and decisively take enforcement actions. At the same time, the department has redeployed personnel to promptly follow up on reports of abnormal operation of FSIs in buildings and will take appropriate enforcement actions accordingly.
The Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau has completed the extraction of concrete core samples from the seven affected buildings at Wang Fuk Court. Initial structural assessment is underway.
In addition, following the establishment of an Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po as announced by the Chief Executive on December 12, the Chief Secretary for Administration has explicitly directed all relevant government departments and units to actively co-operate and fully support the committee’s work. Currently, the relevant policy bureaux and departments are compiling various materials related to regulation and inspection work as well as the fire incident. These materials will be submitted to the committee for reference as soon as possible, facilitating the smooth commencement of its review work.
Source: AI-found images
