The Macao Foundation has approved over the past year some 580 million patacas in subsidies to assist residents in dealing with damage and loss caused by Typhoon Hato.

A special subsidy scheme – covering several areas – was formulated, under an order from the Chief Executive, to provide adequate assistance to residents and help them ride out difficulties resulting from the severe storm, which struck Macao during August last year and caused human fatalities as well as major economic losses. 

The Macao Foundation received a total of 6,368 subsidy requests – up to the date of closure of applications on 30 December 2017 – relating to a programme to subsidise restoration of storm-damaged homes. Of those applications, the Foundation had approved 5,665, involving an aggregate of approximately 40.03 million patacas.

The Foundation invited nine professional associations to join the Government’s grant assessment and inspection effort, in order to expedite the evaluation procedures and ensure public funds were used properly.

The application deadline for medical treatment subsidies via Macao Foundation was 31 October 2017. The Foundation received a total of 246 applications and approved 208, involving an aggregate of 680,000 patacas. It did so after verifying – with respectively Conde S. Januário Hospital, Kiang Wu Hospital and University Hospital – the information supplied by applicants. All payments to successful applicants had been processed by December 2017.

In addition, the Macao Foundation had given in September 2017 an aggregate of three million patacas to be shared between the families of the 10 people that died during Typhoon Hato.

The Government had approved a total of 430 million patacas in subsidies on electricity and water tariffs to eligible households that had experienced suspension either of electricity or water supply – or both – following the typhoon. The grants offered a 500-pataca discount on water bills to each of the 211,000 households that lost water supply during Typhoon Hato; and 1,500 patacas in subsidy to each of the 215,000 households affected by power supply loss. The subsidies have been issued to each household since October 2017.

After Typhoon Hato, the Macao Foundation had requested assistance from non-governmental organisations in relation to issuing subsidies to vulnerable families, and provided support to those cultural and educational groups that needed emergency repairs to their facilities. The subsidies involved amounted to 105 million patacas.