Students return home after the observatory issued the red rainstorm warning on Tuesday morning. Photo: RTHK
Senior scientific officer Lee Shuk-ming. Photo: RTHK
The Hong Kong Observatory has come under attack for issuing the red rainstorm warning too late on Tuesday morning and causing problems for students who had already left home for school.
The red rainstorm warning was issued at 7:35am. About ten minutes later, the Education Bureau announced classes that start in the morning and whole-day schools would be suspended.
But by that time, many students were braving the downpour on their way to school, or had arrived already.
Some parents rushed to schools to pick up their children, although the Education Bureau had told them there was no need to do so.
One of them told RTHK that she was notified by the secondary school that her child was free to go, so she had to go and pick him up. And, because the warning came so late, she had to rush to work afterwards.
A primary school student said he had a hard time going to school in such heavy rain. His parents couldn’t pick him up, so he had to return home on his own.
But the undersecretary for education, Kevin Yeung, said the situation is normal. He said it’s difficult to decide when is the best time to issue the warning, adding that the observatory has to base its decisions on scientific data.
Yeung said the bureau regularly reviews its guidelines. He said that for safety’s sake, students are allowed to stay at school until the weather clears up.
Chief Executive CY Leung also said the safety of the public, especially school students, is the main consideration when deciding to issue a red rainstorm warning. But Leung said the decision to issue the warning is based on scientific criteria.
A senior scientific officer at the observatory, Lee Shuk-ming, said the rainband affecting Hong Kong had undergone significant and rapid development after 7:00am. She said the Red Rainstorm warning was issued after 7:30am when the observatory expected heavy rain to affect the city in the coming hours.
The red alert was lowered at 9:35am and reissued at 11:20am, prompting the Education Bureau to cancel all afternoon schools also.
The weathermen also drew flak last month when the city was hit by severe rain but their warning remained amber.
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Last updated: 2016-05-10 HKT 12:49
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1259229-20160510.htm
