Lessons from Ragasa lashing Hong Kong’s coastal areas must be learned, experts say
City does not have special building regulations to guard against waves and floods, but planners have many ways to improve protection, they say
They called for flood-resilient features and higher breakwaters on Wednesday after a storm surge and downpours associated with Ragasa battered the city’s coastline, inundating streets and promenades. Storm surges flooded restaurants, parks and even the lobby of the 425-room Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong.
An online video showed water crashing through the glass doors of the seaside hotel in Aberdeen, with the carriageway outside the lobby covered in mud and debris and the decorative wooden facade ruined. But the hotel said it was open as usual because its main lobby on the first floor and other facilities were unaffected.
Professor Yau Yung from Lingnan University, a professional member of Britain’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, said he believed that strong waves and possible debris would damage the glass doors and the facade.
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Super Typhoon Ragasa lashes Hong Kong, floods parts of the city
The luxury resort, which boasts unobstructed views of the South China Sea, opened in 2022 and survived Super Typhoon Saola, which battered Hong Kong in 2023.