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Allen Au-yeung

Owen Fung

A red rainstorm warning was raised twice in five hours on Tuesday morning before being downgraded to amber, as the Chief Executive defended the Education Bureau from parents’ anger about cancelled classes.
All rain warnings were cancelled from 2.45pm.
After criticism from one lawmaker, Leung Chun-ying said public safety was the top priority.
Classes were suspended and office workers braved heavy downpours as the red signal was raised at 7.35 on Tuesday morning. An amber warning had been raised since 6am.
By 9.35am the Hong Kong Observatory downgraded that warning back to amber, as forecast storms passed to the north of Hong Kong Island, but the thunderstorm warning was extended until 1.45pm, with squally thunderstorms forecast throughout the day.

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But at 11.20am the red warning was raised again, to be downgraded again at 1.45pm. At 2.45pm, the Observatory announced all rain warnings had been cancelled.
The Education Bureau announced it would suspend classes for all morning schools and whole-day schools after the first red signal.
Classes were also cancelled for the afternoon, but the bureau said schools needed to stay open and take care of students who had already arrived.

The timing of bureau’s announcement to suspend classes attracted some criticism. By the time it was announced, many parents and students were already on their way to school.
Education sector legislator, Ip Kin-yuen, said he saw confusion among students and urged the government to be clearer when announcing signals.
“Red rain signal is kind of a drifty thing,” Ip said. “Today, I saw many students on the road were confused when they suddenly got the news, [about whether] to continue their journey to schools or go home.

“This is slightly confusing. When announcing, the government should explain the situation clearly.”
But Leung defended the bureau. Speaking before the weekly Executive Council meeting, he said the public’s safety, particularly the safety of students heading to school, was the top concern.
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“As for the Hong Kong Observatory, I believe their decision is focused on the weather and is scientifically based. I believe the Hong Kong Observatory will explain why they issued the red rainstorm signal at that time,” Leung said.
Minnie Wong, a working mother of two, was frustrated at the government’s decision to suspend classes at 7.45am, which came too late for her. She said when news of the suspension broke, she and her seven-year-old daughter had already arrived at school, badly soaked.
WATCH : drainage overflows in Tai Po when red rainstorm in effect


“There is only one road to the school, which was flooding as deep as three inches. Whoever – including us – walked past got badly wet,” she said. “[My daughter] was quivering at school. It’s really heart-breaking.”
And May Choi, a housewife, said her ten-year-old son was stranded on a school bus from 6.30am to 9.30am. He was more than halfway from his Tai Po home to his school in Diamond Hill when classes were cancelled.
“Then the school bus had to send all the kids back home right away,” Choi said. “My son is the first and the last to get on and off the bus because he lives the farthest away.”

Sunny Ng, who lives in Shenzhen with two children attending primary schools in Fanling and Sheung Shui, said it was difficult sending them to school this morning across the border at Liantang at around 7am.
“They all got wet and suddenly they learned classes were cancelled,” Ng said. “One of my kids is still in school right now but the other had to turn back home. The schools’ policies aren’t consistent with each other.”
He said by the time the red signal was announced at 7.35am, many children living across the border were already on their way to school.
“The kids living in Shenzhen have to set out for school in Hong Kong as early as 5:30am,” Ng said. “What happened this morning was very inconvenient to them.”
He said the Education Bureau should have issued the announcement to cancel school much earlier, ideally between 5.30 am to 6.00 am, and said the decisions should be posted at border checkpoints.
A red rainstorm signal means heavy rain has fallen or is expected to fall generally over Hong Kong, exceeding 50 millimetres in an hour, and is likely to continue.
Heavy rain affected northern parts of the New Territories. More than 70 millimetres of rainfall were recorded during the morning over Yuen Long, Tsuen Wan and Sai Kung, with more than 100 millimetres recorded over Sha Tin and Tai Po.
The Observatory also warned there would be flooding in some low-lying and poorly drained areas. People likely to be affected were warned to take necessary precautions to reduce their exposure.
The city’s official weather forecaster added heavy rain may bring about flash floods.
The weather forecast for Tuesday was mainly cloudy with showers,with temperatures set to range from 25 to 28 degrees.


Hong Kong red rain alert replaced by amber again: flood warning for parts of New Territories, classes suspended

Rain in North Point. Photo: Sam Tsang

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Breaking | Hong Kong red rain alert replaced by amber again: flood warning for parts of New Territories, classes suspended

Chief Executive defends Education Bureau’s decision to cancel classes