Unitary Police Service (SPU) Civil Emergency Protection Operations Coordination Division Chief Chan Kuok Tong and senior officer Lau Kuok Pou announced at yesterday’s Central District Community Service Consultative Council meeting that over 3,000 people took part in “Typhoon Drill Crystal Fish” last year.
The government-appointed council held its regular monthly meeting yesterday at the Patane Activity Centre on Avenida de Demétrio Cinatti, where they invited Chan and Lau to present this year’s civil defence exercises and the results of last year’s exercises. The meeting was held behind closed doors.
In the post-meeting press briefing, the council’s deputy convenor Chang Ka Wa cited a SPU statement released by Chan and Lau to the council, which outlined the authorities’ exercise hosted on April 26, 2025, which lasted over four hours, and simulated the scenario of a super-typhoon accompanied by a black-storm surge warning. A total of 2,486 people participated in the exercise, including civil protection volunteers and members of the public. The exercise was conducted in three phases: evacuation, emergency incident response, and post-disaster recovery, Chang said.
According to Chang, 970 households involving 3,236 individuals were evacuated and 17 emergency shelters and four emergency evacuation assembly points were activated during the exercise.
Chang also said that last year’s exercise involved the participation of 47 organisations, mobilising a total of 2,070 government and institutional personnel, 31 civil protection volunteers and 385 citizens, adding that the level of coordination improved significantly, while public awareness of disaster preparedness and emergency response skills generally strengthened.
Fellow councillor Leong Chon Kit said that this year’s exercise will consider the gradual relocation of residents to Zone A, with plans to incorporate disaster prevention drills for the new neighbourhood. Recruitment for civil protection volunteers will also be strengthened, with an expected target of 450 individuals, he said.
Leong also said that the exercise will simulate a wider range of extreme scenarios and apply technological means in disaster response scenarios, continuously strengthening disaster prevention drills and the public’s ability to respond effectively.
Central District Community Service Consultative Council deputy convenor Chang Ka Wa (right) and fellow councillor Leong Chon Kit look on during yesterday’s press briefing after the government-appointed council’s closed-door meeting at the Patane Activity Centre on Avenida de Demétrio Cinatti. – Photo: Armindo Neves
