Assessment of the damages and direct economic loss in Hong Kong due to Super Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018

Abstract

Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong on September 16, 2018, necessitating the issuance of the highest tropical cyclone warning signal, No. 10 Hurricane Signal. Packing ferocious winds and record-breaking storm surge, Mangkhut brought the most serious and widespread destruction to the territory in the recent three decades. A series of post event information search, field visits and damage surveys has been conducted by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) and the findings on the damages and impacts caused by Mangkhut in different parts of the territory are documented in this paper. Moreover, by analyzing the economic loss data reported by various government departments, public utilities and organizations in Hong Kong and the statistics on insurance claims from the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers (HKFI), the estimated direct economic loss due to Mangkhut in Hong Kong is about HK$ 4.60 billion, which is about 3.8 times to that of Super Typhoon Hato in 2017. On the contrary, in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the estimated direct economic loss due to Hato is significantly higher than that of Mangkhut. This could be attributed to the early and effective warnings for Mangkhut, increased public awareness and typhoon preparedness for Mangkhut in 2018 since the fierce attack of Hato in 2017, and infrastructure enhancement of the major impact areas.