As part of the year-long community education campaign – "Safer Living – Reducing Natural Disasters", a seminar was held today (October 17) at Hong Kong Central Library to give international and local experts an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience in reducing natural disasters.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the seminar today, the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Chai Sung-veng, said, "Natural hazards may be inevitable, but fatalities can sometimes be avoided if appropriate precautions are taken."
He said that the recent earthquake near Pakistan and India had killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people and the serious landslides in Guatemala had claimed some 2,000 lives.
"These tragedies all point to the importance of the theme of today's seminar - Reducing Natural Disasters," he added.
The objective of this "Safer Living" Campaign is to enhance understanding of potential natural hazards in Hong Kong so that appropriate response actions can be taken to avoid or reduce the impact for a safer living.
Also officiating at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Red Cross, Sir Yang Ti-liang, stressed the importance of disaster prevention and preparedness.
"If we have put in place good preventive measures, we can minimise the damage and countless lives can be saved," he said.
He noted that the number of people affected by natural disasters in Hong Kong had been reduced to a minimum in the past 10 years or so. This was attributed to the growing preparedness of the Government, the Non-government Organisations and the public, towards natural disasters.
The speakers at today's seminar include representatives from the Disaster Reduction Unit of the United Nations, the International Federation of Red Cross, World Meteorological Organisation, the School of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Works Departments of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The full-day seminar has attracted some 200 participants.
The campaign "Safer Living – Reducing Natural Disasters" launched in March this year is jointly organised by the Security Bureau, Civil Engineering and Development Department, Hong Kong Observatory, Drainage Services Department, Information Services Department and Hong Kong Red Cross.
Ends/Monday, October 17, 2005
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