HAD opens temporary cold shelters
In view of the cold weather, the Home Affairs Department has opened 18 temporary cold shelters in various districts today (January 8) for people in need of the service. The temporary shelters will remain open when the Cold Weather Warning is in force.
Clean mattresses and blankets/quilts, hot meals and hot water will be provided to shelter users free of charge during the opening of the temporary shelters.
To ensure that cold shelter users can rest in a quiet and undisturbed environment, members of the public or agencies wishing to make donations to shelter users are requested to register with the staff of the shelter first. Donors will then be directed to place the donated items at a specified indoor location. The staff will help notify the shelter users to collect the items on their own.
Anyone seeking temporary refuge, or those with any questions about the donation arrangements at the cold shelters, may call the department's hotline 2572 8427 for more information.
The 18 temporary cold shelters are located at:
Hong Kong Island:
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Central and Western:
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex,
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
Eastern:
Causeway Bay Community Centre
3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay
Southern:
Lei Tung Community Hall
Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau
Wan Chai:
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
Kowloon:
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Kowloon City:
Hung Hom Community Hall
1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices,
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom
Kwun Tong:
Lam Tin (West) Estate Community Centre
71 Kai Tin Road, Lam Tin
Sham Shui Po:
Nam Cheong District Community Centre
1 Cheong San Lane, Sham Shui Po
Wong Tai Sin:
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan
Yau Tsim Mong:
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
New Territories:
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Islands:
Tung Chung Community Hall
G/F, Tung Chung Municipal Services Building, 39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung
Kwai Tsing:
Tai Wo Hau Estate Community Centre
15 Tai Wo Hau Road, Kwai Chung
North:
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling
Sai Kung:
Hang Hau Community Hall
G/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex,
38 Pui Shing Road, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O
Sha Tin:
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin
Tai Po:
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
Tsuen Wan:
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
Tuen Mun:
Butterfly Bay Community Centre
Butterfly Estate (near Tip Sum House), Tuen Mun
Yuen Long:
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
Source: AI-found images
CEDD commended by Ombudsman on slope safety work
Regarding the report on the direct investigation into the Government's work on landslide prevention and mitigation and management of government slopes released by the Office of the Ombudsman today (January 8), the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) welcomed the Office's high commendation and recognition of the department's efforts in implementing the Landslip Prevention and Mitigation Programme (LPMitP) and regulating slope safety. The CEDD accepts the Office's recommendations and will fully implement various initiatives while continuously reviewing their effectiveness. In response to the Office's recommendations, the CEDD will continue to strengthen its overall capability in responding to landslide risks in four areas, namely preparedness, early warning, emergency response and recovery, to keep enhancing slope safety.
On preparedness, applying a risk-based approach under the LPMitP, the CEDD systematically selects government man-made slopes for upgrading works and natural hillside catchments for mitigation measures annually. Starting from 2025, the CEDD has been progressively increasing the annual targets under the LPMitP and optimising the slope selection mechanism to strengthen resilience of slopes to heavy rain. The CEDD will review the LPMitP's targets and effectiveness in response to environmental changes, ensuring the LPMitP's continued efficacy.
The CEDD plans to fully roll out the Smart Slope Catalogue this year, integrating records of mitigation works, maintenance, rainfall endured, and landslides to expand comprehensive monitoring and data management related to slopes. By applying artificial intelligence for big data analysis, the catalogue will improve the functionality and efficiency of slope safety management, thereby better preparing for extreme weather.
On early warning, the CEDD will fully commission the AI Landslip Warning System in the wet season of this year. The system integrates Hong Kong's rainfall data and information in the Smart Slope Catalogue, and applies machine learning and big data analytics, to boost the accuracy of the predicted number of landslides during heavy rain, thereby enhancing the capability for landslide risk assessment and improving the reliability of the issuance of Landslip Warning.
On emergency response and recovery, the CEDD will stay abreast of the technological advancements in slope safety, and developing and introducing innovative technologies. This includes piloting applications of a smart unmanned drone management system on slope monitoring and emergency management to expand data collection and analytics capabilities. The CEDD will also continue to strengthen collaboration with relevant departments, such as sharing on common maintenance issues and assessment of the impact of heavy rain on slopes, with a view to enhancing slope safety and reducing landslide risk.
The Office noted that the landslide incident rate for government slopes is relatively higher and that there are cases of repeated occurrences. In fact, this is mainly related to the categorisation of slopes and their potential impact, reflecting the government's risk-based approach to slope management. The man-made slopes maintained by the government are distributed over an extensive area, possess diversified nature, and have different levels of risks. These include slopes with relatively high, medium, and relatively low potential impacts, categorised mainly by the risk of loss of life in the event of a landslide. To ensure public safety, the government will prioritise landslide prevention works on slopes that pose a higher potential impact. Some of the government slopes that fall into medium or relatively low potential impact categories may not be accorded priority because of their relatively remote locations or a lower risk of loss of life. As such, those government slopes with medium and relatively low potential impacts may also experience landslides under a risk-controlled condition. On the contrary, private man-made slopes are more similar in nature. Most of them are close to private residences and would pose greater impact on the residents in the event of a landslide. They are generally categorised as having relatively high potential impact and receive a higher level of attention. This explains why the overall landslide incident rate for government slopes appears higher, and why landslides may occur repeatedly on some individual slopes with medium or relatively low potential impacts.
In fact, between 2020 and 2024, the annual landslide incident rates for both government and private man-made slopes remained below one per cent (ranging from 0.1 per cent to 0.6 per cent for government slopes and 0.03 per cent to 0.3 per cent for private slopes), which is a very low level. Overall, an average of about 214 incidents were recorded annually over the past decade (2015 to 2024), representing a decrease of nearly one-third compared to the average of about 300 incidents between 1989 and 2014. This reflects the notable results achieved through the ongoing prevention and mitigation efforts.
In response to the landslide incidents triggered by the extreme rainstorm in September 2023, the CEDD has completed a systematic review and study, putting forward a number of recommendations to optimise the LPMitP. New measures include expediting the progress of LPMitP and prioritising, under a risk-based approach, the risk management of man-made slopes located along sole vehicular accesses and those with a greater potential impact on the public's daily lives. The CEDD thanks the Ombudsman for recognising in its report the department's timely review and adjustment of the direction of the LPMitP, acknowledging that such an approach is proactive and effective in adapting to changing circumstances.
The CEDD will continue to closely monitor slope safety in Hong Kong and remains committed to enhancing slope safety management through collaboration, driving Hong Kong's development as a resilient and livable world-class city.
Source: AI-found images
