Typhoon Mangkhut - Carrie drops the ball.

17/9/2018

Hong Kong has suffered its worst typhoon on record. With sustained winds of 250 km/h, Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit this weekend. The damage is extensive and going to take some time to repair. People had windows blown in and the contents of their homes trashed. The only saving grace is few injuries and no deaths.

But, you wouldn't think we'd suffered much listening to our Chief Executive. In her statement today she asserted that Hong Kong is “largely unscathed”. Secretary for Security, John Lee Ka-chiu, proved forthright in his assessment that the damage is “serious and extensive”.

I’ve attached a few images and videos below - would you assess this as “unscathed”?

I must state my gratitude for the tremendous effort by the first responders. Police, fireman and staff from the Civil Aid Services worked under demanding conditions to ensure public safety. The police received 20,000 calls for help, compared to about 6,000 they receive on a typical weekend. The fact that no one died or sustained serious injuries is a testament to their work. Police officers were injured during the rescue work. I wish them a fast recovery.

Also, the public utilities continued throughout what was a frightening day. Telephones, internet, gas and electricity all uninterrupted except for a few specific locations. This allowed us to keep in touch with family to reassure them and to coordinate help for each other. The utility companies get a pat on the back for keeping the systems up. Especially electricity because without that everything else halts.

Today we woke up to thousands of trees blocking roads. Public transport struggled to get going, as sections of the rail system proved unusable. Bus couldn't access their routes. Huge crowds built at transport interchanges as folks struggled into work. Walking the streets broken glass crunches under their feet.

It is remarkable how localised the damage is. Central looks untouched, while a few kilometres away it’s a war zone. Thus in fairness to Carrie Lam perhaps that why she formed an erroneous impression. Yet, you’d think she’d be better informed or is she playing down matters? As per her usual approach.

In public statements, she made mention that overseas visitors are here for conferences. That millions of ordinary people struggled to get to work appears to be of little concern to her. When asked about a day-off to aid the recovery, she passed the buck. Staff and employers need to come to an arrangement is her lame response. How is that supposed to happen when the power balance rests in favour of the employers? Once again, Carrie displays her indifference.

Carrie Lam’s statements have a profound impact locally and overseas. Her priority today should be the people of Hong Kong. Instead, she is signalling the world we are open for business. Never-mind that we have destroyed homes and a faltering transport system.

Today was a moment to display leadership. Macau granted a day off to civil servants to ease the load on struggling transport systems. This simple act sets an example for the private sector that would contribute to Hong Kong’s recovery. Instead, Carrie Lam made excuses, wobbled and then passed the buck. She fumbled the leadership test.

Scathed or Unscathed - You decide?

Officers in Lei Yue Mun

Rescue

Trashed Restraurant

Boat ashore

Tai Wai Station this morning

Social media is busy blasting the government

Clearway Bay Road

Video of days events

3 Comments

Plod

18/9/2018 06:44:41 pm

As I have said before - quite a wordsmith. Keep it coming.

Totally agree on the response of the emergency services, CLP etc.

Hong Kong at its best - rate these days.

Paul Keylock

19/9/2018 08:36:26 am

Throughout my 34 years of service in the RHKP/HKP , I am sure I never experienced a storm as bad as this one. I am pleased to see that ' Asia's Finest " are continuing to lead by example.
The people of Hong Kong should be extremely proud of their Police Force. It truly was an honor to serve in such a fine force.

Gloria Bing

19/9/2018 04:10:49 pm

The answer is "Unscathed (comparatively speaking)".
Of the 14 No.10 typhoons since 1946, 10 have involved fatalities - the lowest number being York (2) in 1999 and the highest Wanda (130) in 1946.
The Great Typhoon of 1937 killed 11,000 people in Hong Kong and the typhoon of 1906 killed 5% of Hong Kong's population. Thousands were injured and many more made homeless with virtually no relief for their plight. The devastation ran into the hundreds of millions in today's dollars.
Gone are the days when a large percentage of Hong Kong's population lived in rickety squatter homes built on hillsides, overcrowded tenement buildings and junks crammed into typhoon shelters. In Hong Kong today hardly anybody lives in these situations; they live in buildings built to withstand typhoons and much of Hong Kong's infrastructure is also largely impervious to extreme weather. Our ability to predict the appearance and track of storms has improved immensely, even in the last 30 years. In short, Hong Kong is infinitely more resilient than it was when the typhoon warning system was developed.
So it might have been scary; a lot of trees, cars, glass and furniture might have copped it; some were injured but nobody died. Excellent work was (as usual) done by the emergency services, but saying "Hong Kong suffered its worst typhoon on record" is pure hyperbole. "Hong Kong suffered its most powerful typhoon in 71 years and came through largely unscathed" might be somewhat more realistic.
That said, the Government's response was, entirely predictably, the real disaster (ok, that IS hyperbolic, but what the heck). You cannot tell me that when the No.9 signal went down the Transport Department did not know that the bus companies were not going to resume services and the MTRC was also reporting trouble. It should have been a simple conclusion that chaos was about to ensue. The thing to do then would be to tell all civil servants not engaged in recovery to stay at home. Many employers in the private sector would have followed suit.
Anyway, just be thankful you don't live in a shanty in Shek Kip Mei, circa 1920...

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