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Authorities have activated the government-wide mobilization protocol, with 250 civil servants deployed to four locations in the North District to help clear up the aftermath of the torrential downpour that hit Hong Kong late on Thursday and Friday.
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The civil servants joining in on the relief work on Saturday were from the Judiciary, ICAC, Education Bureau, Inland Revenue Department, Marine Department, Department of Health, and the Environmental Protection Department.
At Ma Mei Ha Tsuen in Fanling, the civil servants were seen helping the villagers remove fallen branches from the roads and pavements.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen were also at the scene carrying out inspections of the work.
Meanwhile, speaking on a radio program this morning, the city’s civil service chief, Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, said civil servants from government departments that don't usually have to deal with emergencies were divided into three shifts under the protocol.
She said the public workers called up were "very ready to come and respond to calls," so people could go back to work or school as usual on Monday.
"The main work will be to help with people who have been affected by the flooding to restore their home situation, in more remote areas to restore the road situation," she said.
Yeung added that it could be difficult to immediately mobilize civil servants through the protocol to respond to major events.
"We need to let the emergency departments deal with these emergency situations first, and then we mobilize our staff to go under relatively safe conditions to help the families and residents affected," she said.
The government-wide mobilization protocol was introduced in Chief Executive John Lee's 2022 policy address, where the protocol goes into effect when major incidents occur.
