Typhoon Mangkhut | T10 may be hoisted this weekend

Typhoon signal number 10 may be hoisted this weekend as Typhoon Mangkhut approaches the city, Acting Deputy Director of the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) Tang Io Man revealed yesterday.

Yesterday, Chief Executive Chui Sai On and Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak attended an emergency meeting at the Civil Protection Center (the Center), where they discussed the arrangements made by the government to deal with the arrival of Typhoon Mangkhut with 29 civil protection-related officials.

“It is estimated that the typhoon will be at its strongest on the afternoon of September 16, with a probable typhoon signal number 8 level,” said Tang, adding that: “The prediction carries some uncertainty. There is still a chance that Macau might hoist typhoon signal number 9 or even number 10. […] The typhoon route may slightly change its trajectory due to the topography of the Philippines, or due to other factors. At the current stage, typhoon signal number 10 cannot be completely excluded.”

Typhoon Mangkhut will closely approach Macau on Saturday and Sunday (September 15 and September 16), said Ma Io Kun, Unitary Police Service (SPU) Commissioner-General, on the sidelines of an emergency meeting at the Civil Protection Center yesterday.

“In terms of central pressure and wind force, both were rarely registered in recent years,” said Ma, adding that the typhoon “is slightly deviated from Macau. But since the storm circulation is still huge, [the government] will not rule out its severe impact on Macau upon its approach,” said Ma.

The sea level may also rise, causing flooding in low-lying areas, the SPU head noted.

In the last two days, Macau’s civil protection authority has been carrying out tests at the Center and other places, together with local organizations.

“Due to Typhoon Mangkhut’s rather large circulation, [the government] does not exclude [the possibility of] storm surges affecting Macau. [The Center] will keep in close contact with the security sector and the Social Affairs Bureau.”

In the last two days, supplies of bottled water from the most popular brands were sold-out in several supermarkets.

The Consumer Council issued a statement on Wednesday, noting that the Council and the Economic Bureau had met with local wholesalers and retailers of both groceries and bottled water to understand the current inventory.

The meeting was said to be a tentative move to ensure continuous supply of water and other vital products.

On the note of people flocking to shops to buy water, Ma called on residents to not buy large quantities of water and encouraged them to save some from their domestic water supply.

According to the SMG’s forecast of Super Typhoon Mangkhut, from September 15 until 17, rainfall will likely reach levels between 150mm and 250mm. The storm surge is expected to cause waters to rise by 0.5 to 1.5 meters above road level in Porto Interior between noon on September 16 and the evening. The wind force scale is forecasted to range from 8 to 11 (between 63 km to 11 km per hour). JZ