Aftermath of Super Typhoon Saola, record rainfall forces 2,300 Hongkongers to apply for emergency relief funds

The figure was revealed as the Hong Kong government on Saturday defended its slow progress in developing flood containment infrastructure in certain districts hit hard by flooding, vowing such works would move higher up its list of priorities.

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen told a radio programme that authorities had received more than 2,300 applications for an emergency relief fund and promised to speed up the processing time.

“An effective communication mechanism has played an important role this time … we will keep improving the system and ensure residents can receive accurate and timely information, instead of having to wait for press releases,” she said.

The downpour came a week after Super Typhoon Saola struck the city.

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More than 140 injured as Hong Kong faces ‘once-in-500 years’ downpour

More than 140 injured as Hong Kong faces ‘once-in-500 years’ downpour

Discussing the wave of applications, the Home Affairs Department on Saturday said about 70 per cent of them involved residents from the hard-hit North district in the New Territories.

Applicants would be assessed by whether they had suffered financial hardship as a result of the weather events, as well as whether the candidate’s household had received any other handouts in the past 12 months, it added.

Each applicant can only apply for up to HK$12,000 (US$1,533).

Hong Kong villagers scramble to prepare for reservoir water release amid floods

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, meanwhile, defended the government’s slow progress in introducing flood mitigation infrastructure, particularly in hard-hit areas such as North district, Wong Tai Sin and Chai Wan.

Local media outlets had earlier said some of the projects had dragged on for more than a decade

But Linn argued on a separate radio show that each project had its unique considerations when it came to allocating resources.

“The government has never stopped working on the projects related to the discharge of water,” she said. “There have been 12 projects under way, while another 18 projects are undergoing detailed planning, spanning across the New Territories North, such as Yuen Long and Tai Po, as well as Wong Tai Sin and the Eastern district.”

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The minister said some works required more time to complete since they involved re-routing underground facilities. But authorities would speed up the relevant anti-flood projects following the recent spate of weather events, she added.

Linn also said the government had started a strategic planning study on flood management in 2022 and would finish it in the second half of next year.

The study aimed to address the increased risk of flooding brought on by climate change and how authorities could make the city more resilient to such incidents, she said.