‘Hato effect’ revealed in typhoon passage

Water bottle supplies running thin at a supermarket on the peninsula

Although typhoon Barijat passed fairly peacefully, the weather phenomenon has shed light on a so-called “Hato effect” with many residents rushing to bakery shops and supermarkets to stock up on essential goods such as bread and bottled water.

In several shops yesterday, supplies of bottled water from the most popular brands were sold-out and others were becoming more scarce as the afternoon turned to evening.

In consequence, the Consumer Council yesterday issued a statement noting that the Council and the Economic Bureau has met with local wholesalers and retailers of groceries and bottled water to understand the current inventory.

The meeting was explained as a tentative move to ensure the continuous supply of water and other vital products. The Consumer Council also encouraged the population to report any unscrupulous acts of retailers, in particular the phenomena of suddenly raising prices, known as “price gouging.”

As normal, schools in the territory had their lower level classes of kindergarten and primary education suspended yesterday afternoon due to the hoisting of typhoon signal 3.

Otherwise Barijat caused no major disruption to other aspects such as transportation, with the Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. (CAM) registering the cancellation of only four departing and arriving flights, namely the Xiamen Airlines flights to Jinjiang and Fuzhou on the mainland, scheduled for yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, ferry services to and from the neighboring regions of Hong Kong, Guangzhou (Nansha), Shekou and Shenzhen Airport continued as per normal all day, according to TurboJET and Cotai Water Jet operators. RM