HONG KONG, April 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong Institute of Housing ("HKIH") is very concerned about the damaged ceilings and significant leakage in two shopping arcades, located in Kowloon and the New Territories respectively, caused by the sudden torrential downpour on March 30, 2014. HKIH believes that professional property management with well-planned measures on preventive maintenance and regular inspection for buildings are extremely important.
The Drainage Services Department described this occurrence of heavy rain and hail as a "once in 200 years" incident. Extensive flooding was found throughout the territories, many shopping malls suffered from ceiling damages and leakage. The severe amount of rain water leaking into shopping arcades had called for alarm to the safety of shop customers and merchants alike. The necessity for preventive maintenance has to be further emphasized in daily property management practice. This includes regular inspection and removal of debris, such as tree leaves, that can clog the surface channels and gutter entrances. In order to avoid blocked drains which can cause failure to divert rainwater, the frequency of clearance and inspection of the drains must be increased especially before and during the wet season.
Preventive maintenance could effectively and proactively spot out defects/damages as to avoid any possible problems or breakdown of building facilities. If any problem is found, it could be fixed instantly. This may ultimately prevent future disastrous/damaging incidents or unnecessary adverse impacts on property users such as owners, tenants or residents, guests or customers, etc. The property's external walls, curtain walls or ceiling/skylight glass panels need to have appropriate checking and inspection in accordance with relevant guidelines or regulations. This enhances the durability of the facilities or the property to withstand typhoons and heavy rainfall, thus reduces the risk of emergency repairs to be carried out under adverse situation.
In general, in accordance with the Building Department's prevailing requirements on buildings and construction materials for shopping malls, building elements including exterior walls, curtain glass, and drainage facilities shall be able to withstand typhoons and heavy rainfall. However, the incident on March 30, 2014 was a rare occurrence.
As observed from the incident of Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong, many customers still remained staying at the shopping mall and did not leave the venue immediately. Customer's awareness of their own safety needs to be alerted. Obviously, there was the risk of parts of the false ceiling collapsing and flooding with large volume of rain water falling through the false ceiling which might have contact with electricity. For safety sake, it must be emphasized that the public should follow the instructions of the management staff or security personnel on site and evacuate from the scene to a safe location immediately. Property management companies used to have an emergency plan for buildings and shopping centres in place for crowd control or evacuation to reduce any hazardous accident.
Ms Cora YUEN, President of The Hong Kong Institute of Housing said, "This incident was caused by an unexpected and sudden rainstorm, and fortunately there was no tragic news. Professional property managers used to arrange preventive maintenance for building facilities to ensure their proper functioning, so to minimize any risk of damage to the building or the structure from adverse weather. Besides, public safety awareness should also be emphasized. HKIH wishes the Government could invest more resources on promotion or education on the public. Anyway, this incident occurred on March 30, 2014 (Sunday) can serve as a useful study case on crisis management for the construction and property management industry in future."