Hong Kong wasted no time prepping for the next downpour after extreme flooding devastated the city in 2023, an event one official described as a “wake-up call.” Over the past two years, the government has more than doubled its annual spending on stormwater drainage to reduce flooding. It’s also installed flood sensors and deployed extra emergency response teams to clear blockages during heavy rainfall. When record rains hit the city again in August, the damage and disruption were far less severe.

Private companies are also adapting: The real estate investor behind the mall that suffered the most damage in the 2023 floods has since invested HK$8 million into new gates, drainage upgrades and other measures, while the railway operator MTR Corp. has made upgrades to protect some of its most vulnerable stations. The investments put Hong Kong on par with a handful of other regions that have also spent heavily on flood defenses in a bid to keep up with the evolving climate threat, Mary Hui reports. Today on CityLab: The Future of Flood-Fighting Is Being Charted in Hong Kong

— Arvelisse Bonilla Ramos

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