<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by christep:
...most of those [mainlanders] died because a very shoddily built building that they were sheltering in fell down. That is a completely different issue.</font>
You're right, it is a different issue. In a downtown area of a modern city, the likelihood of a building collapse is much smaller, probably nearing zero.
The biggest risk in an urbanized area is often flying objects -- windows, debris, etc. In areas with tall building, the wind tunnels created by the synergy of the weather and the topography created by the buildings themselves can become extraordinary. It's also extremely difficult to predict: you might have winds >100km/h on one blocks, while it's no more than breezy 3 blocks away.
Those who pay little heed to the forces of Nature do so at their own risk.