Hong Kong braces for typhoon season with 50,000 sandbags, flood barriers

Hong Kong authorities have prepared 50,000 sandbags and several sets of water-filled flood barriers to brace for the coming typhoon season, while enhancement works at the high-risk Tseung Kwan O promenade are set to be completed by the end of this year.

The Civil Engineering and Development Department on Monday also introduced new guidelines on shoreline management for communities, property managers and businesses operating near the coastal areas.

The guidelines include simple infographics on how to set up protective barriers against high tides and flooding.

The Observatory has forecast that the city will experience between four and seven typhoons from June to October, with heavy rain and localised torrential downpours expected during the season.

Cheung Wing-hong, the acting deputy head of the department’s civil engineering office, said construction of flood walls at the Tseung Kwan O promenade had begun, with the final phase expected to be completed by the end of this year.

To minimise the disruption to cyclists using the tracks, the construction was being carried out in three separate phases, and works for the existing restaurants by the waterfront have already commenced, he said.