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Perceptions of severe weather warnings in Hong Kong

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 August 2002

T F Wong
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
Y Y Yan
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
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Abstract

In this study 320 people in Hong Kong were interviewed to assess their understanding and perception of severe weather warnings. The majority of the respondents (72%) received warnings from mass media. Although 99.4% of the interviewees claimed they knew all the warning signals, results indicate that most of them have only a basic understanding of what they mean. The study revealed that the warnings often lack other important information, such as the time of issue, validity period and precautions to be taken. Only 31% of the respondents stated they would take precautions at the issue of warnings, although people aged over 60 tended to be well prepared for the onset of severe weather. Public education is necessary to promote people's understanding of the warnings and awareness of the risks of severe weather.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2002 Royal Meteorological Society

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