Hong Kong coastal residents face nervous wait to see if lessons learned from past storms stand flooding test of Super Typhoon Saola

Seawater at parts of Lei Yue Mun, a seaside village in east Kowloon known for its seafood restaurants, briefly rose to ground level in the morning. Businesses were closed as shopkeepers made final preparations in anticipation of worsening conditions from Saola.

Ming Kee Seafood, a seafront business on the main village street, lost HK$100,000 (US$12,750) worth of appliances and valuables to knee-high flooding caused by Mangkhut five years ago, according to its owner, who only gave her surname as Ip.

“Having lived in Lei Yue Mun for nearly 80 years, Mangkhut was the only time that such serious flooding occurred,” said Ip, 85, who lives in a house across the street.

Worried about a similar impact from Saola, she spent the whole Thursday night lifting as many electric appliances above ground as possible. She said she expected another sleepless night keeping an eye on her belongings, but declined the offer of sandbags from authorities.

“What’s the use of sandbags? When the water comes, it can’t be stopped at all.”

Down another alley at the village, Kate Lee at Ngan Lung Cafe planned to spend her second night sleeping on a makeshift bed laid out inside her cha chaan teng to respond quickly when the worst hit.

“We have to stay here to start cleaning up and wiping dry the soaked wood furniture and appliances as soon as the seawater retreats,” said Lee, who lost all her six refrigerators to flooding from Mangkhut that lasted five hours.

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Across the harbour at Heng Fa Chuen, a seaside development on eastern Hong Kong Island, the storm surge and fierce waves in 2018 left behind a sea of garbage, as well as cars submerged in an underground garage. Residents lost power and the use of lifts for days when their waterfront housing blocks were swarmed by rising seawater.

The impact of five years ago has also reinforced the reputation of the area as a site to see during a typhoon, with a constant stream of storm chasers seen on Friday morning.

Jenny Sung, a mother of two, walked about 20 minutes from Chai Wan to the Heng Fa Chuen seafront with her family.

“The kids said they have not seen a typhoon so I took them here to experience what it is like,” said the beautician in her 40s, who explained she would leave when winds picked up.

Roger Mak, a Heng Fa Chuen resident for more than 30 years and vice-chairman of the estate’s owners committee, warned onlookers that the situation would deteriorate very quickly. He said the authorities had promised to send members of the Civil Aid Service to help persuade people against staying in the area to watch the storm.

“Even though we’ve been telling residents not to come down [to watch the waves], they often don’t listen. But officers in uniform are different.”

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He said the damage at the housing estate from Mangkhut had led to years of inflated insurance premiums and a host of defence measures.

One of the most noticeable additions was the use of watertight gates, put in place several days ago as the storm approached, at the seafront entrances of each block of flats.

“We engaged Polytechnic University to design these gates after Mangkhut, and they’re so heavy that each can only be moved by two workers.”

Another post-2018 change has been the creation of online chat groups that allow management to alert residents about contingency plans and tell car owners to vacate the underground car park ahead of time.

But a man, who did not give his name, was sceptical of the waist-high barriers placed along the seaside promenade. “The waves are going to reach so high and overcome the barriers,” he said.

Meanwhile, minor flooding was observed in Tai O on Lantau Island around noon on Friday.

Police warned that as Saola edged closer, water levels in areas including Sai Kung, Shing Mun River, Tai Po, Sha Tau Kok and Lei Yue Mun could reach the same heights as those seen during Mangkhut.

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The force said it had deployed additional officers, and advised residents to stay away from the shore in high-risk areas.

Residents were also urged to remain in safe places and closely monitor the government’s information regarding the typhoon, take precautionary measures against strong winds, cease water activities and prevent accidents by avoiding going outside.

Additional reporting by Clifford Lo