By Edith Lin

Copyright scmp

Hong Kong’s leader has tasked the government’s steering committee on handling extreme weather with improving works and facilities in typhoon-vulnerable areas after the city was brought to a standstill by Super Typhoon Ragasa last week.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the government had managed to minimise and swiftly recover from the damage of Ragasa, allowing business activities to resume last Wednesday night and society to largely return to normal the next day.
Lee said he had requested the steering committee, led by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, to evaluate experiences from the storm and make improvements.
“It will systematise and institutionalise our successful experiences to continuously enhance the ability of the government and society to respond,” he said before meeting the Executive Council, the city’s top decision-making body.
“We will also study areas to refine our prevention and response, including optimising the basic works, facilities and equipment in areas frequently threatened by typhoons, to better cope with various extreme weather events in the future and protect Hong Kong.”
Ragasa triggered the highest-level No 10 typhoon signal for nearly 11 hours last Wednesday. Coastal locations, including restaurants along a Tseung Kwan O promenade and the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, were among those hit by flooding.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Saturday that the government would learn from the experience and review coastal facilities, adding that the planned flood wall and breakwater barrier in the two areas could improve the situation.
But Linn stressed that coastal neighbourhoods also had a responsibility to improve their facilities, plan for evacuation and increase their awareness.

Lee said on Tuesday that the government had lessened the damage resulting from Ragasa thanks to comprehensive preparations, adding that departments had started recovery works before the typhoon signal was further downgraded.
The government had used technology to improve work efficiency and issued timely information, he said, while crediting the media industry for reporting the situation and society for preparing for the typhoon.
Lee also touched on cases of people venturing outside while high-level warnings were in place to chase the storm. Four people have already been arrested in connection with such activities.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung earlier said he would consider new legislation to curb storm chasing.
Lee stressed that storm and wind chasing was “irresponsible”, with such actions endangering personal safety, putting rescuers at risk and wasting public resources.
He said the arrest showed the government’s stance on holding those responsible for these unsafe and irresponsible acts accountable, adding that the Security Bureau would study and consider the legislative proposal in a comprehensive manner.