Storm Surge

Caption: ‘Protection Zone’ consisting of concrete walls and demountable flood barriers at the low-lying fishing village of Tai O in Lantau Island, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
For the urban coastal city of Hong Kong, typhoons are a regular occurrence from May to October. Consequently, Hong Kong’s infrastructure is designed to cope with the strong winds, floods, and storm surges they bring. Recently, however, the territory experienced two powerful storms in consecutive years. In 2017, Super Typhoon Hato struck the region, and in the following year, the city witnessed Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon since 1983. But Hong Kong suffered lower economic losses from both storms when compared with the neighboring Guangdong region and the city of Macau, thanks partly to its well-coordinated response and resilient infrastructure.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Asia and Pacific
Eco-DRR report cover
2020
The purpose of this policy paper is to increase awareness of the important role of ecosystem-based approaches in reducing disaster risk. It emphasises the central role of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) in strengthening the coherent implementation of various international frameworks under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Asia and Pacific
Eco-DRR report cover
2020
The purpose of this policy paper is to increase awareness of the important role of ecosystem-based approaches in reducing disaster risk. It emphasises the central role of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) in strengthening the coherent implementation of various international frameworks under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It further provides suggestions on how to capitalise on the growing evidence-base for strengthening the integration of Eco-DRR and other nature-based solutions (NbS), such as ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) into disaster risk reduction strategies and national development plans and highlights the usefulness of Eco-DRR in systemic risk management, using examples and good practices from the Asia-Pacific region and other parts of the world.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Asia and Pacific