Letter to the Editor | ‘The government’s silence on disaster preparedness is absolutely deafening’

Dear Editor,

It has been nearly eight months to the day that Hato had left its indelible mark on Macau.  Eight months since promises were made to improve the system that had initially failed to properly inform and protect the citizens of this city.   What has improved? Thus far, there has been a fair share of debating and finger pointing while the former director and deputy director of SMG await the outcome of their disciplinary hearings, but what has truly changed?  Since the wake of destruction that was left after Hato’s arrival, there has been slow development and little meaningful communication on how SMG or the yet to be birthed Civil Protection and Emergency Coordination Bureau will improve future storm preparedness.

As it is, the 2018 typhoon season is upon us in which two storms have already formed (TS Bolaven in January and TS Sanba in February). While these storms mainly affected the Philippines and the South China Sea, it should be a reminder that these tropical systems are occurring with some frequency outside of the typical expected time frame for typhoons.  While it is yet to be heard if 2018 will have as much noise from storms as 2017, the government’s silence on disaster preparedness is absolutely deafening.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – Benjamin Franklin. Where wishful thinking seemingly has had an impact on director level decision making within SMG prior to Hato, it is detailed preparation and clear communication that will help to ease efforts and prevent stress on recovery following both minor and major catastrophes. While Hato was the worst storm to strike Macau in recent memory, it isn’t as if typhoons are unexpected, yet with the lack of awareness in the past few storms, it would be foolish to maintain the status quo.  As evident from videos and photos taken during the arrival of the storm, far too many people had failed to take shelter before and during the peak of the wind and rain that had reached fatal proportions.  This in turn puts rescue workers and volunteers at risk trying to either save or usher these people to safety.   Additionally, with much of the city having suffered power and water outages, far too many were caught with out emergency reserves and rations resulting in a clear out of bottled water supplies at stores in addition to long lines at spigots for both potable and non-potable water.

What is needed, as we near the summer months and the peak of the typhoon season, is a campaign to communicate what organizations and individuals can do to safeguard themselves from future emergencies including action plans to find shelter when away from home, action plans when your home is in a flood zone, action plans for families with elderly relatives or young children, checklists for emergency food, water and supplies, checklists for home and building security, and guidelines on how to utilize emergency rations and maintain sanitation.  Communicating disaster preparedness has the advantage of both being cheap and effective, provided that either governments or NGO’s that wish to take up the task continually repeat their communications through multimedia to ensure the message saturates into the public at large. 

Fortunately, we are not without examples on how this can be implemented.  In 2015, Hong Kong Observatory produced for the Typhoon Committee a series of short videos that bring about the awareness of dangers produced by typhoons (youtu.be/7v5f8GW_Mnc) which can be easily played in commercial spots or in public spaces where video advertising is available. The WMO backed Typhoon Committee Secretariat (typhooncommittee.org) is also hosted in Macau which is tasked with assisting country members with in the region on developing and improving Typhoon disaster risk management. Finally, other established weather organizations take it upon themselves to ensure the public is well informed, as is the case with the US NOAA/NWS, which sponsors year round preparedness as well as a dedicated week for storm awareness in communities most likely affected by tropical systems (weather.gov/wrn/hurricane-preparedness, ready.gov/make-a-plan).

If SMG or other related government agencies are unable to engage in pre- storm awareness, then it is up to NGO’s, local media and citizen activists to fill in the empty space.  Participating in active awareness and education is as simple as being consistent and frequent with adequate information on a wide range of platforms.  This not only informs the public of the potential dangers well in advance of coming storms, but also gives agency to citizens by empowering them with the knowledge necessary to save their lives and the lives of others in the event of a potential disaster.

Sincerely,

Luke Lienau Central Macau