The CLP cable bridge in Yuen Long burned down last night (21st), causing power outages to many buildings in Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun districts. Some MTR stations and even hospitals were affected for a while, but it did not return to normal until today.
In fact, the government once set up an "emergency warning system" at a cost of 150 million yuan, but the black rainstorm warning came into effect earlier, and the system was not activated during the major power outage yesterday.
Xie Zhanhuan, deputy director of the Environment Bureau, said this morning that the system was not activated because the incident was limited to local areas.
However, in fact, the Government Finance Committee document mentioned that the content of the warning system can be distributed in different areas. Some IT experts said that since the system is broadcast through base stations and is broadcast on the local area network, distribution in different areas is not a problem. , believes that Xie Zhanhuan's response proves that the government department lacks understanding of the system, and proposes to formulate clear guidelines and procedures.
New Territories North Member of the Legislative Council Lau Kwok-hsun also questioned whether the system was in name only and urged the government to explain it as soon as possible.
▼On the evening of June 21, the Fire Services Department first dispatched fire-fighting robots to help put out the Yuen Long Cable Bridge Fire▼
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The 150 million emergency warning system has only been activated once
The "Emergency Alert System" was launched on November 26, 2020, costing 150 million yuan to set up. It was not until early March this year that the government issued an emergency alert through the system for the first time, referring to the transformation of Queen Elizabeth Hospital into a designated hospital, and the incident involved only one hospital. , reminding the public not to go to the emergency room for medical treatment.
At that time, the "first sound" happened suddenly, and the alarm sounded for about 10 seconds, which caused widespread heated discussion.
However, with the advent of the rainy season, the Observatory once had to issue a black rainstorm warning, and even yesterday's blackout also affected more than 100,000 citizens, and the emergency warning system has not been activated, which makes people question how serious the "emergency" situation is , only need to start the 150 million yuan system.
▼The fire of the CLP Cable Bridge in Yuen Long on the evening of June 21▼
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Fang Baoqiao calls for clear guidelines for the system
Fang Baoqiao, Honorary President of the Hong Kong Information Technology Chamber of Commerce, suggested the government to make good use of the emergency alert system at the beginning of the year.
He said that Hong Kong does not have an "emergency response center" in Macau, and the government should formulate clear guidelines and procedures to enable OFCA to activate the system; he believes that the Policy Innovation and Coordination Office, or the Efficiency Promotion Office, can be determined in terms of functions Start the system.
"If it's really stressful, what about Chief Executive Mitt? The guidance will be decided by the government itself."
Undersecretary for the Environment explains that the system will not be activated: the incident is limited to localized areas
Tse Chin-wan, who is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Environment Bureau and will be promoted to the Secretary for the Environment and Ecology in the new government, was asked at a press conference this morning why the system was not activated. He responded that it was not activated because the incident was limited to local areas. A territory-wide alert system.
However, after reviewing the information, the Government has stated in the Finance Committee document that the content of the messages issued by the alert system includes health/safety alerts or extreme weather conditions, and it is also mentioned that they can be
distributed according to the situation, which
is obviously different from the Secretary's statement.
The government document mentioned that the emergency alert system can be divided into receiving areas according to the situation.
(Financial Committee document)
▼On the evening of June 21, there was a power outage in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai▼
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The warning system can be distributed by zone through the base station
Fang Baoqiao pointed out that the response of the Environment Bureau reflected that the government departments lacked understanding of the system and were not clear about its functions and scope of work.
He believes that yesterday's blackout has had a serious impact on the residents of the area, so it is necessary to activate the system.
In addition, he also explained that the emergency warning system is broadcast through base stations and is a local area network broadcast. As long as it is within the coverage area of the base station, citizens can receive the warning, and the transmission range of each base station is about several kilometers, so there is no problem in regional distribution.
Fang also suggested that the government needs to publicize the system again. When a major regional accident occurs, it can choose to issue an alarm in one area, and other areas should be supplemented by media reports. Otherwise, the public will not be aware of the seriousness of the situation.
He also added that although some base stations were also affected by the power outage last night, he believed that there should still be enough time to activate the system at that time.
Liu Guoxun urged the government to explain clearly
Legislative Council New Territories North Member Lau Kwok-hsun pointed out in a radio program this morning that emergency coordination between departments still needs to be improved, especially the emergency alert system.
He said that the emergency warning system spent 100 million yuan in public funds to make it, and it was suddenly activated during the new crown epidemic. "Everyone was shocked, and it was not a serious matter."
However, he said that this time the power outage in Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun affected a total of hundreds of thousands of people, but he did not use the alarm system. Use? Personally decide to use it? I think I need to explain clearly.”
The first sound of the government's emergency warning system, experts explain why some people are "forgotten". OFCA's 150 million yuan emergency warning system has never been activated. There are 2 potential reasons for the power outage | The government activated the emergency center to call on residents to be patient and urged CLP to submit a report on the power outage in Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long | A patient in Tuen Mun Hospital who was in urgent need of surgery was transferred to Pok Oi Hospital
