Some northern areas of Hong Kong are the city’s most vulnerable to extreme climate events, according to a Hong Kong Red Cross report published on Thursday, the only source cited for the study. The organization is urging the government to incorporate disaster prevention from the earliest stages of planning new communities.

According to the report, more than 50% of the city’s territory is simultaneously affected by two or three types of threats classified as high risk. The events examined include typhoons, extreme heat and fires. The available material does not specify which combinations are most common in individual areas.

The analysis was developed using spatial and statistical data from the Hong Kong government and the Hong Kong Observatory. The Red Cross supplemented this information with the results of its own public questionnaire, combining institutional data with responses collected directly by the organization.

To measure vulnerability to extreme weather events, researchers ranked different parts of the city using 42 factors. Although the available material does not provide a detailed list of all the indicators, it states that they were used to create a geographical risk ranking.

The study divided Hong Kong into nearly 300 zones based on the government’s Tertiary Planning Units. These are small geographical areas used for urban planning and census statistics. This approach makes it possible to examine differences across the territory in greater detail than broader administrative divisions allow.

The Hong Kong Red Cross says the method produces a more accurate analysis than the customary division of the city into 18 districts. The map can distinguish between the vulnerability of areas that belong to the same district but face different risk conditions.

Eleanor Lam Chuen-ping, chief executive of the Hong Kong Red Cross, described the map as a tool for assessing regional hazards in advance. Lam said stakeholders involved in urban development could use it from the initial design stages of new communities.

The stated objective is to integrate disaster prevention and preparedness into development plans instead of addressing them only at a later stage. Lam linked the study’s usefulness to Hong Kong’s future planning, emphasizing the need to identify geographical differences in exposure to extreme events before development begins.

The Red Cross also called on the government to prioritize support facilities in high-risk zones and rural areas. The organization believes climate resilience should be incorporated into long-term development programs, with measures tailored to the vulnerability identified in each territorial unit.

The report therefore connects climate exposure with decisions about Hong Kong’s future urban structure, focusing on northern areas and a large portion of the city facing multiple risks. The available source does not report any government response or identify measures already approved on the basis of the map.

The material also provides no timetable for the possible adoption of the recommendations and does not specify which facilities should be strengthened. The next steps will depend on whether the study is used in public programs and whether climate resilience is incorporated into long-term development plans.