Floods were recorded in many locations across Macau yesterday as heavy rainfall hit the city from early morning until the evening.
Videos and pictures posted by social media users showed floods and waterfalls occurring in various parts of the city. For example, a strong waterfall was captured behind the Ocean Gardens Health Centre.
At the bottom of the waterfall, a puddle of unknown depth could be seen.
In another video taken on a bus, water was seen flowing into the bus near the Lisboeta Resort in Cotai, and the roundabout was also flooded.
The heavy rainfall necessitated issuance of the Yellow Rainstorm Warning at 8:50 a.m. yesterday and the Red Rainstorm Warning 25 minutes later, at 9:15 a.m.
However, eyewitness reports differed slightly from the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) statement.
The Times was told that rainfall started to become heavy at around 8:30 a.m.
“It was pure luck that children were all at school by then,” one parent said. The parent said that traffic conditions were not as congested as on normal days, probably because parents were well-prepared when they woke up to downpours yesterday.
Another reader of the Times reported a situation that matched the time of the yellow warning issuance. This reader lives on the Macau Peninsula and goes to work in Taipa, and reported rain starting to become heavy when he arrived at work around 8:30 a.m. yesterday.
Pursuant to SMG guidelines on the issuance of the yellow warning, the signal is issued when “heavy rain has fallen or is expected to fall over extensive areas, exceeding 20 millimeters in an hour, and is likely to continue.”
Five underpasses will see flood warning signs
The Municipal Affairs Bureau and the Transport Bureau have jointly announced that warning lines will be drawn on the ground and walls of five of the city’s road underpasses.
The relevant underpasses are located at the Border Gate, Praça do Lago Sai Van, Avenida dos Jogos da Ásia Oriental, Tap Seac Square and Estrada do Istmo.
Flooding indicator lines will be painted on the ground of the underpasses, while rulers will be installed on the walls to indicate the depth of water flooding the underpasses. Water level warning lines will also be drawn on the walls.
