RTHK Emergency Broadcast Plan Under Adverse Weather Conditions Radio Division 香港電台緊急廣播計劃

Tropical Cyclone Warning Signals 熱帶旋風訊號 Hurricane force wind reaching upwards from 118 km/h and gusts that may exceed 220 km/h. Gale or storm force wind is increasing or expected to increase significantly in strength. Gale or storm force wind with a sustained wind speed of km/h which may exceed 180 km/h. Sustained speed of km/h, may exceed 110 km/h. Winds are expected to become stronger within 12 hours. Stand-by signal, centred within about 800 km of Hong Kong.

-Human casualty figures have dropped significantly. - 15,000+ in 1906, and 10,000+ in Hong Kong’s infrastructure is good. -Central Briefings for local media. - Enquiries from Singapore, China. -Media can truly reach the public. -HKO information is transparent. -Public education. - E.g. Landslide warning message. -Disaster prevention, storm surge warning. -Co-ordination with other Government Departments. -Rumours. - Need to manage rumours from the internet. Hong Kong Observatory 香港天文台

Hong Kong Observatory Hong Kong Observatory Flowchart of Warning Message 警告訊號流程 SMS Phone Fax / teleprinter Weather forecast CCTV system Website

Division Head RTHK Presentation Office RTHK Presentation Office Hong Kong Observatory Hong Kong Observatory Chain of Events 連鎖機制 Emergency Team Manager Emergency Team Manager Technical Team Manager Technical Team Manager Departmental Supporting Unit Departmental Supporting Unit Section Heads & Channel Heads Section Heads & Channel Heads - Setup of Emergency Centre. - Arrange team members’ arrival. - Setup of Emergency Centre. - Arrange team members’ arrival. - Preparation of Technical Support. - Setup of studio for emergency broadcasting. - Preparation of Technical Support. - Setup of studio for emergency broadcasting. - Preparation of Supporting Services, e.g. transportation. - Preparation of Supporting Services, e.g. transportation. - Arrange channel merging and manning of studios. - Arrange news and programme continuity. - Arrange channel merging and manning of studios. - Arrange news and programme continuity.

Emergency Centre Transport Department Transport Department Other Government Departments & Non Government Department Other Government Departments & Non Government Department Other Sources of Information 其他訊息來源 Hong Kong Police Force Hong Kong Police Force Hong Kong Observatory Hong Kong Observatory Government Information Services Department Government Information Services Department Social Welfare Department Social Welfare Department banks, schools, buses, ferries, etc. banks, schools, buses, ferries, etc. Education Department Education Department

Typhoon Announcements Typhoon Announcements every 15 minutes Hourly News with Typhoon updates Half-hourly News with Typhoon updates When Typhoon Signal No. 8 (or above) is effective 當8號(或以上)訊號生效

Arrangements for Special Announcements 緊急通告安排 -Break-in normal programming. -Joint LIVE broadcasting of all Typhoon Warnings among all channels (4 Chinese Channels + 2 English Channels) -Pre-empt all taped programmes.

Categorization of information 訊息分類 A: Very important. Affecting the community at large. Announce frequently. E.g. suspension of airport, tunnels, railways, etc. B: Important but time-limited, or affecting a smaller sector of community. Announce two or three times. E.g. suspension of services within 30 minutes. C: Less important, very limited effect. Announce once only. E.g. closure of remote schools.

-Setup of Emergency Team 1 Team Manager, 3 senior producers/announcers, 2 clerical support staff. -Roles -Chain of command -Roster: 2 teams, 3 shifts -Technical Officers Hardware operation and maintenance -Others: Transportation, Clerical Support, etc. Who’s Who in our Emergency Team? 成員是誰 ?

Requirements of Emergency Announcers 緊急主播要求 -Professional ethics. -Willing to work irregular hours. -Serving the public. -Alertness to adverse weather conditions. -Basic knowledge of meteorology. -Basic knowledge of road networks/traffic. -Broadcasting skills and mentality. -Authoritative and experienced.

- Sorting out importance of Weather warnings and non-weather related information. - Consider Half-team or Full-team. -When to stop? -Proper account (log book) of all announcements. -Transportation of before and after duties. -System maintenance. -Review and post-mortem. Other things to consider 其他

-Peak hours? Off peak hours arrangement Rainstorm Warning Alert System 暴雨警告系統 Exceeding 30 mm in an hour, likely to continue PDF PDF Exceeding 50 mm in an hour, likely to continue PDF PDF Exceeding 70 mm in an hour, likely to continue PDF PDF

-Non-weather related events such as the Torch Relay of the 2008 Olympic Games. -Festive celebrations, fireworks displays, mass rallies, major soccer matches, etc. Other occasions of emergency? 其他情況

May every day be calm and peaceful! THANK YOU