Chief Secretary Eric Chan on Monday said a two-day suspension of classes announced by the Education Bureau – ahead of the arrival of a powerful storm – is aimed at ensuring the safety of students.

His remarks came after officials announced the cancellation of all day and evening schools on Tuesday and Wednesday because of Super Typhoon Ragasa.

"It is of utmost importance to ensure the safety of students. We want to prevent them from leaving the school when the weather turns bad quickly," Chan said.

"This is not ideal and may create chaos. There will be huge pressure on transportation, so the Education Bureau has announced in advance that all schools will be suspended on Tuesday and on Wednesday."

The two-day suspension was based on the observatory’s forecast and may be extended if the extreme weather conditions persist, he added.

The chief secretary also called on employers to be reasonable and flexible when it comes to work arrangements on Tuesday.

"Employers have the responsibility to provide a safe working environment for their employees, and this extends to the journeys going to and out of work," he said.

"If an employer unreasonably neglects employee safety and causes harm, they may violate the law. Therefore, I strongly hope that employers will prioritise the safety of their employees, especially during their commute to and from work."

Earlier, Chan, who chairs the steering committee on extreme weather, inspected flood prevention measures in various flooding black spots in the city.

He was accompanied by a number of ministers and were briefed about the precautionary measures taken by the Drainage Services Department and the use of robotic water pumps.

Chan said all government departments are fully prepared to deal with one of the strongest typhoons ever to threaten the city.

He also urged people living in areas vulnerable to flooding and squatter houses to temporarily relocate to government shelters.

"We don’t want to do it forcefully because everyone has their own choices. But of course when it comes to dangerous situations, our rescue workers and disciplinary officers will go to their doors and take them to the shelters," he said.

"I hope that if residents know they are in danger, please cooperate with our paramedics and disciplined forces to get help. I think this is the best way. We don't want to use law enforcement every time."