“Please do not put our frontline officers in dangerous situations,” he said.

Rescuers had been deployed to mountainous areas or the sea 35 times over the three years to last September, with all of the operations taking place during adverse conditions, he added.

He noted that some departments were empowered by law to close certain places such as beaches and country parks during severe weather. Residents who ignored a ban by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on venturing to beaches in such conditions, for example, could be fined HK$2,000 and jailed for 14 days.

Authorities said police enforcement and prosecution, as well as public education, would be stepped up to prevent residents from seeking out crashing waves or windy spots during dangerous weather.

Undersecretary Cheuk was speaking at a cross-departmental press briefing led by the city’s No 2 official, Eric Chan Kwok-ki, where authorities also revealed upgraded measures to help prevent and deal with the aftermath of extreme weather events.

Development chief Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said her bureau would seek funding for seven large-scale projects to improve rainwater drainage systems in areas including Wong Tai Sin and the eastern parts of Hong Kong Island, which were badly affected last autumn.

She said 11 improvement works of the rainwater drainage system already underway were expected to be completed between 2024 and 2030.

“We have done a lot of preventive drainage works since September and will try to get more done by the imminent rainy season,” she said.

Linn added that the number of teams responding to flooding had been increased from 144 to about 160, and the groups were now spread across more than 30 spots instead of 13 to allow quicker response times.

Environment chief Tse Chin-wan said the Observatory would also add features to its mobile app, which he urged residents to download, and step up the issuing of timely information.

“Rainy weather is harder to detect in a very advanced stage – the earlier the warning, the higher the risk of inaccuracy,” he said. “So what we will do is ensure updated information will be frequently released through the Observatory.”

Chief Secretary Chan said MTR services on open-air tracks would be suspended when a No 9 typhoon signal or higher was in place. Trains would either drive to the end of the line or a large station or one connected to a shopping centre should more space be needed to handle stranded passengers, he added.

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said he agreed with the tougher law enforcement and prosecution, but urged authorities to step up education efforts on the penalties involved and even consider harsher punishment.

“If you really want to tackle this problem once and for all, you may have to consider increasing the penalty from HK$2,000 to HK$4,000 and 14 days [in jail] to a month,” he said.

Tien, the former chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, also said the rule for suspending MTR open-section train service during intense typhoons could cause undue inconvenience to passengers.

In such situations, the rail operator should immediately notify passengers about affected trains and offer suggestions about transport options, he said.

The city was battered by what Chan said was a “once-in-500-years” storm last September. The extreme weather event triggered the city’s longest-yet black rainstorm warning, turned streets into rivers, stranded drivers in vehicles, and flooded shopping centres and railway stations, leaving more than 100 people in hospital. Areas including Wong Tai Sin in Kowloon and Chai Wan in eastern Hong Kong Island were among those hardest hit.

Facing public anger over the perceived unpreparedness for the impact of the record-breaking downpours which kept the highest level rainstorm warning in force for 16 hours, the government earlier promised a review but insisted it was difficult to predict the sudden onset of extreme weather.

Hong Kong also took a weather roller-coaster ride on May 4. The Observatory warned of a possible black rainstorm alert, before it lowered its red warning to amber within hours as thunderstorms and flooding left hikers stranded, schools suspended, traffic disrupted and businesses closed.

Areas in the eastern part of Hong Kong – such as Sai Kung, Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong – suffered the most.

Authorities set up nine shelters across the city and deployed 12 care teams to deal with the effects of the rainstorm.