Typhoon-flummoxed HK braces for cyclone

Maisy Mok

A second tropical cyclone, Kompasu, may affect Hong Kong from tomorrow after the SAR was battered by Lionrock, which had the longest-hoisted No 8 storm signal.

Weather conditions are forecast to deteriorate leading to significant wind, heavy rain and squalls later in the day and in the following couple of days, according to Hong Kong Observatory senior scientific officer Lam Ching-chi.

Kompasu is forecast to come within 800 kilometers by tonight. The weather today meanwhile expected to be dry with no more than brisk breezes.

But people are being warned that northerly winds could be expected by tonight and that they should stay off shorelines and avoid water activities.

And conditions can be expected to deteriorate tomorrow night with winds increasingly stronger.

Kompasu will be closest to Hong Kong tomorrow and Wednesday, coming within a 400km range.

Winds could reach up to gale force 8 levels on Wednesday.

Lionrock had meanwhile weakened into a tropical depression by last night.

The hoisting of this year's first No 8 tropical cyclone warning signal came at 6.40am on Saturday. It was downgraded to No 3 at 4.40am yesterday.

With that duration of 22 hours, Lionrock broke the 21.5-hour record for a No 8 southeast signal set in July 1978 by tropical storm Agnes.

Meanwhile, people were clearing up after damage caused, while some were mourning a female construction worker who died on Friday after scaffolding collapsed in Happy Valley when the No 3 signal was in effect.

A Facebook discussion group for local security guards posted a video on Saturday showing an area of the V Walk shopping mall situated atop Nam Cheong MTR station flooded with water pouring into the mall from the ceiling. Staffers were seen in the video putting sandbags to block water from entering another part of the mall.

And the Hospital Authority counted 14 people requiring treatment due to typhoon-related injuries within the 22 hours the No 8 signal was up.

Authorities also recorded 179 reports of fallen trees, six cases of flooding and three landslides up to 4am yesterday. And 154 people had sought refuge at temporary shelters by 11.15am.

Bad bad weather had already forced people to cancel plans to go out early on Saturday although the observatory had several times suggested during the day that the No 8 signal could be lowered to No 3 several times, though that did not finally occur until yesterday morning.

But miffed citizens had started complaining about what they perceived to be slow action by the observatory's on rain warnings on Friday and typhoon messages. That included complaints and critical comments on the observatory's Facebook page.

One thought the observatory was not professional, saying: "Nowadays we have advanced technology. Why is the observatory worse than many years ago?"

Others also questioned the timing and messages about the No 8 signal, saying the weather on Friday had been much worse than on Saturday. In response, senior scientific officer Lam appeared yesterday to say she understands how the public felt but that the observatory had carried out its work on a scientific basis.

"When the No 8 gale signal was hoisted, the windiest time was [on Saturday] afternoon," she said.

"We had to base [this] on the latest circumstances with public safety as a priority.

Besides the length of time Lionrock was hoisted being a record duration it was also the furthest away from Hong Kong - around 500 kilometers first time in 60 years records by becoming the furthest tropical cyclone in 60 years that requires the observatory to hoist a No 8 signal when it was detected to be closest to the city from around 50 km away.

The observatory also hoisted the red and black rainstorm signals at 11.20am and 11.45am respectively on Friday, the second time Hong Kong has hoisted a black rainstorm signal during October.

More than 200 millimeters of rainfall were recorded across Hong Kong and 329.7 millimeters at the observatory headquarters, breaking the highest single-day rainfall record for October.

maisy.mok@singtaonewscorp.com