The Government has published today the final report assessing the overall impact of Typhoon Hato and offering suggestions for optimising Macao’s mechanism for managing emergencies.
The report offers practical advice on measures appropriate to Macao in relation to: either prevention or, if necessary, mitigation of disasters; relief measures after an event; and the city’s response mechanism for any public emergency.
The Commission for Reviewing and Monitoring the Improvements of the Response Mechanism to Major Disasters commissioned respectively the Institute for Public Safety Research at Tsinghua University, the North China University of Technology, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ NationalDisaster Reduction Centre of China to draw up the report.
It reviews the overall impact of Typhoon Hato, a powerful storm that battered Macao in August, causing 10 human fatalities as well as resulting in heavy economic losses.
The review is divided into four chapters and also covers four themes of research, via a total of approximately 140,000 printed Chinese characters.
The first chapter offers a comprehensive analysis of the overall effects of Typhoon Hato and provides a summary on the findings.
The second chapter outlines the latest information and practical insight from around the country and from overseas, regarding management of public emergencies. It covers prevention and mitigation measures, and relief efforts in the aftermath of events.
The third chapter includes suggestions on optimising Macao’s mechanism for management of public emergencies. It covers the need to: improve the mechanism and the legal system for managing a public emergency; establish comprehensive planning ahead of any adverse event; strengthen fundamental infrastructure for operations linked to saving lives and to disaster prevention and mitigation; optimise the coordination mechanism between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao regarding such events; and to initiate city-wide safety awareness programmes for the public.
The fourth chapter provides suggestions on a number of important initiatives required in the medium- and long-term. They include: an integrated project to analyse Macao’s overall capabilities in coping with adverse events; a command system for the management of public emergencies; construction of emergency shelters and resettlement sites; establishment of a centre for public safety promotion and education in relation to popular science topics; a base for training professional rescue teams; and construction of waterfront flood control and drainage facilities for the Inner Harbour.
The four research themes in the final report offer suggestions for complementary effort in relation to: meteorology; electricity supply; flood control measures at the Inner Harbour; and work relating to the fire services.
Findings of the final report were developed from a preliminary version published in September and are in line with principles outlined in the 2018 Policy Address under a section titled “Optimisation of the emergency response mechanism in order to enhance public safety”.
Currently, the Government is stepping up effort to advance Macao’s overall capabilities for disaster prevention or, when necessary, mitigation of the effects of disaster. The work comprises: amendment to the Civil Protection Law; the formulation of a 10-year plan for disaster prevention and mitigation (2019-2028); and the establishment of a new command system for the management of public emergencies.
The Government will strive to initiate – in the short term and if possible before year-end – work relating to: the setting up of an insurance system covering losses from major disasters; an overall emergency response plan; construction of major fundamental infrastructure; and promotion of safety awareness.
The Government will continue to dedicate its utmost efforts to advancing Macao’s overall capabilities and the quality of its public services in relation to either the prevention or the mitigation of public emergencies. The Government will continue to place paramount importance on protecting the safety and property of the public, while increasing resources for coordination of short-, medium-, and long-term mechanisms for prevention of public emergencies.
The full version of the final report, in Chinese and Portuguese, has been uploaded to the website of the Policy Research Office (http://www.gep.gov.mo/event/).