The Government has been actively coordinating cross-departmental efforts regarding relief work and alleviating measures since Typhoon Hato struck Macao on 23 August.
On Thursday evening (24 August), the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, convened a press conference at the Government Headquarters to give the public more information about the measures taken in the typhoon’s aftermath.
The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan, said in view of the prevailing traffic conditions, public departments were entitled to use discretionary powers to excuse civil servants who were not able to arrive on time at their normal workplace. Public departments were advised to make special arrangements with their civil servants regarding off-site working and working hours, provided such arrangements did not negatively affect public services.
The Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, said all services connected with public security and safety were required to cancel any planned staff leave during the current period in order to support fully the city’s relief efforts and to maintain proper public order.
The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng, said a number of school facilities were damaged by the typhoon, and as a result, some schools would not be in a suitable condition for use in the new school year on 1 September.
As of 4.30pm on 24 August, the Civil Protection Action Centre had received reports of 244 people being injured and eight cases of human fatalities during the typhoon. Of the deceased, one died in a traffic accident and seven died due either to factors relating to the typhoon’s high winds, or due to the flooding it brought.
The Centre had recorded a total of 432 incidents across Macao and the Islands (Taipa and Coloane) as a result of Typhoon Hato. They included: 32 relating to collapse of concrete walls from buildings; 88 involving falling or swinging advertising signs, canopies, ironwork or windows; 9 relating to swinging or collapsed scaffolding; 97 concerning collapse of wiring poles or trees; 47 relating to flooding; and 75 concerning people trapped in lifts.
Rescue work had been concluded in the basement of the Classic Bay apartment building, where two of the deceased were found drowned. The Centre had not so far found other people trapped in basements of residential buildings. But the Government was striving to remove water from the last of four basement levels at the Grandeur Heights building in Patane. At Edificio Hang Tak, in Rua de São Joao de Brito, water was still present in two of the four basement levels but was due to be removed soon. The Centre had received reports of people possibly being trapped in a basement at Edifício Fai Tat in Fai Chi Kei and had speeded up efforts to clear away the water there.
Regarding the city’s water supply, the Marine and Water Bureau said that Macao’s current water pumping stations were able to provide around 60 percent of the city’s water consumption under normal summer conditions,. But the city’s three water pumping stations had been damaged severely during the typhoon and the Government was conducting repair work on them.
The Social Welfare Bureau’s two shelters will remain open for people who need them. The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau is stepping up efforts to remove fallen trees and other obstacles from streets.
The Macao Foundation is to launch subsidy schemes with an aggregate budget of 1.35 billion patacas for people affected by the typhoon. The tally includes 300,000 patacas compensation to each of the families of the deceased and a maximum of 30,000 patacas for those who sought treatment at either Conde S. Januário Hospital, Kiang Wu Hospital or University Hospital. People who suffered from power outage or interruption of water supply may apply for a maximum of 2,000 patacas in subsidy.
The Industrial and Commercial Development Fund is to provide a budget of 2.6 billion patacas for local small- and medium-sized enterprises affected by the typhoon.
Regarding other matters, the Public Security Police Force said all checkpoints had resumed operations and major roads in the city were essentially reopened to traffic.
Respective times at which checkpoints resumed operations were:
- Border Gate checkpoint – 3.30pm on 23 August;
- Airport – 7pm on 23 August;
- Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal – 7am on 24 August;
- Taipa Ferry Terminal – 8.20am on 24 August;
- Lotus Flower Bridge – 8am on 24 August for pedestrians; 2pm on 24 August for users of authorised vehicles;
- Zhuhai-Macao Crossborder Industrial Zone – 10.30am on 24 August.