MOP43 million spent on new civil protection equipment in 2019

The government has spent approximately MOP43 million this year purchasing new equipment for civil protection purposes. The Commissioner- General of the Unitary Police Service, Ma Io Kun, disclosed this information on the sidelines of yesterday’s civil protection meeting at the Taipa Pac On police immigration building.

The meeting showcased a total of 107 pieces of civil protection equipment which are currently used by the government departments involved in the civil protection structure, including the Fire Services Bureau and the Social Affairs Bureau (IAS).

In 2018, the local government spent MOP70 million on civil protection equipment.

The money was used by four government departments: the Public Security Police Force, the Judiciary Police, the Fire Services Bureau, and the Macao Customs Service.

Ma stressed that the civil protection authority will continue evaluating and working to improve disaster relief works, and that, if needed, the government will purchase more equipment.

During yesterday’s meeting, representatives of CEM, of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, of the IAS, and of the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) reported their bureaus’ preparation for the typhoon season of 2019.

As of today, the IAS has a total of 17 shelters with 266 employees working at these centers. The shelters can accommodate about 24,000 people.

In terms of supply of materials, in addition to providing basic materials such as water, dry food, mattresses, radios, and televisions, the centers will also provide rice, which can supply 40 people at a time, and, in order to attend to the needs of some residents, the center will provide milk powder.

Five of the IAS centers will have doctors and nurses stationed therein, and will have medical equipment, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation machines and blood pressure devices.

Moreover, as off today, the IAS has spent about MOP40,000 installing protective nets around some of its vehicles, in a bid to improve the safety of these vehicles while on duty.

According to a representative of the SMG, this year, Macau will have four to six cyclones affecting the city. The first tropical cyclone is expected to hit the city in mid-June.

The SMG is also upgrading its information release mechanism, as well as its weather forecast capabilities.

According to a representative from the bureau, the SMG will work on the precision of its weather forecasts in future.

On April 27, the government will organize a large-scale typhoon drill. As announced previously, the government is calling for residents’ participation in the drill. The application started yesterday and will end on April 22. 

The government expects some 450 residents to participate in the drill.