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1,311 personnel for 81 incidents be- away from the city when the highest
Tang also described the incident in tween January 1, 2023, and August 31, signal was issued.
which the mother and son fell into the 2025, involving drowning accidents
sea as “unfortunate”. and mountain rescues during extreme As of November 13, 2025, a total
weather conditions. of 13 typhoons have hit Hong Kong
so far, with three alone in September,
Tang explained that it is not sim- according to the Hong Kong Observa-
ple to introduce legislation regarding tory.
storm-chasing, as there are various
considerations. The government will The Observatory issued the No. 1
have to review existing legislation re- signal on Monday, November 11, be-
lated to this issue. cause of Severe Tropical Storm Fung-
wong. The No. 1 alert was lowered the
“There are no laws criminalising However, the security chief said same week on Tuesday evening as the
chasing the wind and waves yet, but the government will not fine anyone storm departed.
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if you go to a place - for example, a for rescue operation costs.
beach that the government has de- Scientific Officer at the Hong Kong
clared as closed, there will be penalties This is to prevent the unnecessary Observatory, Raphael Lui Yuk-sing, Follow Us on Instagram
for entering,” he said. loss of life from people choosing not says the proportion of intense tropical
to call for help to avoid being fined, cyclones in the Western North Pacific
Responding to questions by law- Tang said. “It is the officers’ duty to region is expected to increase.
makers during a Legislative Council save lives,” he added.
meeting on October 8, Tang stated “Due to climate change, the sea
that under the Offences against the He urged members of the public to levels will rise, and we can expect a
Person Ordinance, law enforcement exercise self-discipline, consider the higher threat of coastal storm surges.
could prosecute persons who brought well-being of their families and rescue We must stay alert and be fully pre-
children to wave-watching spots, as personnel, and avoid putting them- pared to face the threat of tropical
it invoked the offence of “neglect by selves in dangerous situations. cyclones or extreme weather in the
those in charge of a child or young future,” Lui says.
person”. According to the Hong Kong
Hospital Authority, 59 males and 42 Regarding the recent storm-chas-
“This offence carries a maximum females have been injured during Ty- ing incidents, the officer says even
penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, phoon Ragasa and received medical though a lower signal is hoisted dur-
which has a high deterrent effect,” he treatment at the Accident and Emer- ing a typhoon, the public should be on
said. gency department of public hospitals. alert and pay attention to the informa-
tion provided by the Hong Kong Ob-
He described the act of storm- Hong Kong narrowly avoided the servatory.
chasing during typhoons as “selfish worst of the super-storm, as Ragasa
and reckless”. skirted around the city at a distance of “They should always stay away
over 100 km away. from the shoreline and avoid engaging
“Such highly irresponsible behav- in water-sport activities,” Lui stresses.
iours not only endanger the safety of Ragasa marked the second time in
themselves and their children, but also Hong Kong history that two No. 10 Edited by Erica Hwang
place rescue personnel in extremely Typhoon signals were issued in the
dangerous situations when accidents same year - the first was in 1964, ac- Sub-edited by Suan Yeon
occur,” Tang said. cording to the Hong Kong Observa-
tory.
Regarding manpower deployed
to rescue wave-watches during ty- It also broke records as the most
phoons. The secretary for security distant typhoon to trigger the No.10
stated that the government deployed Signal. It was approximately 130 km