Classes at all-day schools, including primary, secondary, special schools, and kindergartens, are suspended today because of ongoing severe weather from the remnants of Typhoon Danas, with heavy downpours and thunderstorms expected across the city.
The registration procedure for Secondary One students on Friday has been rescheduled to Monday.
Announcing the class suspensions on Thursday, the interdepartmental steering committee on handling extreme weather, led by Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki, cited the persistent severe weather conditions. The committee added that the school closures will have a limited effect since many schools are currently closed for summer vacation.
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Certain social care services will also be closed today, including units under child care centers, the Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project, and after-school care programs for preprimary and primary schoolchildren.
The remnants of Typhoon Danas, moving westward across Guangdong province after striking Taiwan, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces over the past few days, brought heavy rains to large parts of Hong Kong on Thursday.
The intense downpour prompted the Hong Kong Observatory to hoist the red rainstorm alert — the midlevel of a three-tier system — twice in a few hours during the morning. Many areas received about 50 millimeters of rainfall per hour, with over 70 mm recorded in the southern parts of Hong Kong Island, part of Lantau Island, and Lamma Island.
The heavy rain caused disruptions for many office workers. Postgraduate student Zhou Yameng, awakened by thunder, left her Tai Wai residence 20 minutes earlier than usual for her internship job in Chai Wan. Though holding an umbrella, she was soaked on her way to the MTR station, where she encountered long lines.
The Education Bureau closed afternoon classes at around 10 am, requiring morning classes and whole-day schools to ensure students’ safety.
A parent surnamed Lam expressed deep disappointment over the cancellation of his 8-year-old son’s semester-ending ceremony at a school in North Point, originally scheduled for Friday.
“It’s deeply disappointing. This ceremony marks the semester’s end, where parents watch their children receive awards and capture precious memories together,” Lam said.
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Lam has yet to be informed whether the ceremony will be rescheduled. He said he hopes the school will organize the ceremony later so children can enjoy what should have been one of their most memorable moments of the year.
As of 3 pm on Thursday, the Drainage Services Department confirmed five flooding cases, at San Tin Highway, San Tin Tsuen Road, and Tai Wo Tsuen.
In a social media post, the department said its Emergency Control Centre has been active since Wednesday night, and over 100 emergency response teams were sent to inspect and clear drainage channels across different districts.
Huang Yawen contributed to this story.
Contact the writers at dannyxu@chinadailyhk.com
