"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", as the adage goes. Extravaganzas are part and parcel of such special occasions as Christmas, Thanksgiving and not to mention, spooky Halloween. For its part, Hong Kong bears a poignant empathy for South Koreans, given the fatal 1993 Lan Kwai Fong stampede on New Year's day, similar to that deadly October 29 Itaewon stampede in the South Korean capital of Seoul. But in addition to the much-touted crowd-control measures, what else can we do to ward off such tragedies? Here, with a few suggestions.
Instead of airing hourly warnings, which is oft-repeated, it's about time news agencies issued hourly warnings via phone notification on the day of the festivities. With busy Hongkongers riveted to their phones every day for text messages, who on earth would still turn on the TV throughout the entire day and tune in to every newscast for warnings? In contrast, whenever phone notifications from news applications pop up with a "ding" or a buzz, people can take note of them right away. While not mincing words, news agencies should make phone notifications clear and concise, such as, "Large gathering expected at Lan Kwai Fong tonight. Use public transport and avoid crowded areas!" That's because people need to learn of the warnings as quickly as possible in order to take heed rather than having them read a lengthy story with only a vague idea of what's going on.
Then there is the recommendation that multi-storey businesses along narrow, sloped yet often-packed alleys be on high alert and ready to let people in amid massive revelries. According to experts, stampedes usually erupt in narrow, yet packed and especially sloped areas. Why were so many victims crammed into the narrow, snaking street, only to be "mowed down" by those hysterically pushing from behind? Because the empty spaces -- businesses -- nearby were never used. This goes right back to the aftermath. Twenty-four-year-old Nathan Taverniti, an Australian witness who's grieving the death of a friend in the stampede, insisted, while it boiled down to a lack of paramedics and police officers, businesses nearby never let people in. It's since resonated with many witnesses since stores were not accommodating the influx of people even as bodies began piling up. It's for safety's sake, and nobody would welcome seeing people being entangled when their lives could be spared.
With the battery of upsides listed above, it goes without saying that authorities and various stakeholders should consider adopting these preventative measures to head off another deadly crush.
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