Cost to casinos may have been key to Macau’s late warning on Typhoon Hato
Requirement to pay overtime to staff during typhoons no doubt figures in decisions on storm warnings, sources with knowledge of civic protection plans say
Macau meteorological officials who failed to predict the ferocity with which deadly Typhoon Hato would hit the gaming hub may have held off raising the highest storm warning because of the financial impact on the city’s casinos.
As the clean-up continues after Hato ripped through the former Portuguese enclave, killing 10 people, injuring scores more and leaving more than half the city without water and electricity, sources with knowledge of the government’s civic protection plans said the “casino factor” – real or perceived – almost certainly played a part in the delay raising the alarm.
No water, rubbish floating in the streets, and another storm on the way: Macau struggles to recover after Typhoon Hato
A recent reorganisation of the city’s emergency services to deal with such events may also have contributed to the chaos and loss of life, the sources said.
The aftermath of Hato has already led to the resignation of Fong Soi-kun, the head of the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau, and raised questions over how a city awash with gaming riches – giving it one of the highest per capita gross domestic products in the world – was not properly prepared.
Faced with the scale of the post-storm clean-up and inability of the Macau government to cope, soldiers from the city’s People’s Liberation Army garrison had to make an unprecedented departure from their barracks on Friday to tackle Hato’s chaotic aftermath.
Chinese army garrison called in to help Macau rescue and recovery efforts in wake of Typhoon Hato
