(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki said the extreme conditions brought about by the torrential rain associated with remnants of Typhoon Haikui were unpredictable.

He made the comment at a press conference concerning the Government’s efforts to cope with the extreme conditions and described the downpour as a once-in-500-years event.

“The predictability of this heavy rain is very low when compared with a typhoon. With a typhoon, we can make an early prediction, so we can make an early preparation.

“That is why we cannot act as (we did with) the former Super Typhoon Saola, (where) we could make the announcement very early beforehand.”

In response to the rainstorm, both the Government’s cross-departmental steering committee chaired by the Chief Secretary, together with the Emergency Monitoring & Support Centre under the Security Bureau, were responsible for co-ordinating response and rescue work.

Additionally, the Drainage Services Department, the Highways Department and the Home Affairs Department worked overnight to handle various scenarios.

Separately, Mr Chan stressed that work arrangements under torrential rain conditions are the same as those under a Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8, meaning that except for essential staff who have an agreement with their employers to be on duty at workplaces when extreme conditions exist, employees are advised to stay where they are or at safe places, instead of heading to work.

The Labour Department reminded employers that even if the extreme conditions cease to exist, employers should make flexible arrangements for staff to resume work or allow them to work from home, giving due consideration to unstable factors affecting roads and traffic conditions.

This evening, the Drainage Services Department confirmed 60 flooding cases. For 59 of them, it said the flooding situation had been eliminated and the affected areas have been reopened. The department said it will strive to resolve the remaining case by tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Civil Engineering & Development Department said it had received 39 landslide reports, and that it had finished inspecting 17 landslide cases. Departments responsible for slope maintenance, including the Highways Department and the Lands Department, are carrying out urgent slope maintenance works.

The Home Affairs Department said it had opened 15 temporary shelters, accepting a total of 355 people in need.

For its part, the Hospital Authority said 144 people have sought treatment.

In addition, the Education Bureau announced that it has received more than 20 reports of damage to facilities in school premises. The reports are of flooding, leakages, power outages and damage to objects or facilities. Some school premises sustained serious damage. The bureau is assisting schools in carrying out emergency repairs, and is providing support, through the emergency repairs mechanism, to Government-aided schools that have been affected.