Gov’t to issue compensation for deceased, injured, damages

 The government organized a press conference yesterday to report the latest updates regarding Wednesday’s typhoon. Led by Chief Executive Chui Sai On, Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak, and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam, senior government officials reported on the latest updates from their departments.

A compensation scheme with four categories is being coordinated by the government, via the Macao Foundation, for injured or deceased people, and household damage.

Families of the deceased will be compensated with MOP300,000 each. Injured people who required hospital treatment during the typhoon can apply for a maximum of MOP30,000 to cover their medical expenses.

The owners of houses where damages have been recorded – including broken windows – can apply for a maximum of MOP30,000 in subsidies from the government. Evidence that the damage occurred during the typhoon will be required.

In addition, households affected by the shortage of water and electricity will be granted a MOP2,000 reduction in their water and electricity bills.

The city’s top leaders stood yesterday during a minute of silence to honor the eight people who died during the typhoon. “It is heartbreaking that eight people died in the typhoon and more than 200 are injured,” said Chui.

The chief executive expressed his apologies to the public after saying that there are steps the local government needs to take in order to improve its response to such disasters.

He praised residents who voluntarily took the initiative to help the city recover from the disaster, and praised cleaning staff, firefighters, and police officers, as well as others who worked tirelessly at the frontline to get the city back to normal.

“We are expending all efforts to minimize the harm,” said Chui.

The city’s public departments are permitting flexible day-off schedules for civil servants who are in need of help, according to Sonia Chan.

Wong Sio Chak remarked that Typhoon Hato was the strongest typhoon to strike Macau since 1964. The security head said that all members of the security force had canceled summer holidays and the relevant departments are now fully-staffed to confront the aftermath of the disaster.

The Judiciary Police (PJ) will increase night inspections across the city, and the police force will increase inspections at casinos, in addition to help providing backup support to frontline workers in cleaning up the streets.

The police force will also issue timely notifications in order to prevent false rumors.

A few sports fields are damaged and will need several days to be fixed, Alexis Tam informed at the conference. According to Tam, the sports fields can only be used after Macau’s water supply is resumed and the fields are repaired.

Tam noted that several schools might not be ready to open on September 1, as campuses have reported varying levels of damage.

The Public Security Police Force reported that several associations and companies volunteered their equipment to help the bureau clean the city.

The public works department has already inspected a few construction sites, with more than 30 in need of immediate repairs.

Both the Macau Ferry Terminal and the Taipa Ferry Terminal have sustained damage. Limited ferry services are being operated at both terminals.

The Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau will collect dangerous and large piles of trash across the city, with different associations helping to collect small pieces of trash.

The Health Bureau clarified that Kiang Wu Hospital and the Centro Hospital Conde de São Januário (CHCSJ) did not sustain a severe shortage of water, although there was a period when the water supply was runing low.

The bureau noted that it will continue to conduct pest control in the city as infectious diseases normally spread after natural disasters.

Chui noted that the government is expending “all efforts” to resolve the typhoon’s aftermath, noting that it is the first time the Macau government is facing the consequences of such a strong natural disaster. “We send our sincere apologies,” he said.

The Chief Executive also noted that the government “does not have enough time to calculate economic losses,” and that their “first task is the public’s safety.”