What Typhoon Mangkhut taught us: the value of being prepared and regional cooperation

Sonny Lo says the effective steps taken by the authorities in Hong Kong, Macau and on the mainland to prepare for the superstorm, including inter-governmental efforts, helped avert a repeat of last summer’s Typhoon Hato tragedy

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A man walks down the flooded Rua de Cinco de Outubro street in Macau as Typhoon Mangkhut approached on September 16. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 7:04pm, 17 Sep 2018Updated: 5:05am, 18 Sep 2018

Typhoon Mangkhut wreaked havoc on Hong Kong and Macau, causing widespread flooding and damage. Fortunately, although there have been injuries, there has been no loss of human life so far in both cities. Unlike last year when Typhoon Hato claimed 10 lives in Macau, the government there managed to brace itself better for yesterday’s storm. In both Hong Kong and Macau, the authorities prepared sufficiently while citizens were educated on how they should protect themselves.

This time, credit must first go to the intergovernmental cooperation between the observatory officials in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, who held a joint video conference on September 12, four days before the typhoon approached southern China.

Their efforts at sharing their intelligence on the movement of the storm were a testimony to how intergovernmental collaboration could contribute to collective defence against natural disasters.

Watch: Macau suffers serious flooding and power cuts

Both Hong Kong and Macau raised the No 10 typhoon signal within the same time-frame, indicating that the observatories of both cities were on the same page about the strength and danger of Mangkhut, unlike last summer when Macau seemed caught unawares compared with Hong Kong.

In fact, it was evident that the Macau government had learned from the Hato tragedy in the measures it implemented. First, the government coordinated with casinos to shut down on the night of September 15 and also opened over 1,800 free parking spaces while hotel resorts opened over 2,000 more.

People whose vehicles were located in underground parking lots moved them to elevated car parks. Four people who died in Macau when Typhoon Hato struck were found in underground car parks.

Second, Macau’s electricity supply was strategically terminated in areas affected by extensive flooding on September 16, but would be resumed once the water level dropped.