The Government is devoting its fullest efforts to cooperation with experts gathered by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, regarding optimisation of Macao’s response measures for any public emergencies.

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, made the remarks today during a meeting at the Government Headquarters with a team of 22 experts coordinated by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction.

The experts are visiting the city at the invitation of the Macao Government, in order to assist Macao to conclude the relief work phase of the city’s management of the aftermath of Typhoon Hato, and analyse its efforts in search and rescue and relief matters. The visiting team is to have meetings with Government departments, according to each relevant department’s field of expertise.

The visiting experts include: Deputy Director of the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, Mr Shan Chunchang; and Deputy Director of the National Disaster Reduction Center of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Mr Zhang Xuequan; as well as officials from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the China Meteorological Administration, ministries and departments from the Central Government; and experts from provincial- and municipal-level bodies.

The visiting team additionally comprises experts on crisis prevention and on mitigating the impact of disasters; as well as advisers on emergency alert systems, meteorology, water resources, architecture, electricity supply, telecommunications, and firefighting.

During today’s meeting, Mr Chui said the experts’ guidance would be an important reference point for drawing up short-, medium- and long-term plans for response to natural disasters.

Typhoon Hato – the strongest recorded storm in Macao for 53 years – caused human fatalities and severe economic losses. To review the rescue and relief work that took place in response to the disaster, the Government formed the Commission for Reviewing and Monitoring the Improvements of the Response Mechanism to Major Disasters, and initiated channels to receive opinions on the matter from community associations and members of the public, in a bid to strengthen the existing response mechanism for emergencies and to minimise the impact of any future public emergencies, said Mr Chui.

Mr Shan said during today’s meeting that the National Commission for Disaster Reduction team would give full support to the Government in concluding the post-disaster assessment work relating to Typhoon Hato and formulating updated response measures for typhoons and disasters.

Government officials attending today’s meeting included: the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak; the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo do Rosário; the Commissioner-General of the Unitary Police Service, Mr Ma Io Kun; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; the Director of the Policy Research Office, Mr Lao Pun Lap; and Adviser to the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Lei Ngan Leng.

Following the meeting with the Chief Executive, the expert team received a briefing from Government departments regarding the issuing of meteorological warnings and forecasts; the maintainence of telecommunication services and supplies of resources; and measures taken to cope with high tides, as well as civil protection efforts to counter the risk of flooding.

The briefing session was chaired by Ms O Lam; and attended by Mr Wong Sio Chak; Mr Ma Io Kun; the Director-General of the Macao Customs Service, Mr Vong Iao Lek; and personnel related to the operation of the civil protection mechanism system.