The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, has asked a Government team tasked with planning enhancements to Macao’s management of disaster prevention and mitigation work, to maintain its efforts and where possible do more.

Mr Chui made his remarks on Wednesday (8 May) during the first meeting in 2019 of the Commission for Reviewing and Monitoring the Improvements of the Response Mechanism to Major Disasters. Mr Chui is that Commission’s chairman.

The Government would continue to strengthen its resources and input in this regard, and work in line with its announced short-, medium-, and long-term measures for building a sustainable response mechanism regarding disaster management, Mr Chui said in Wednesday’s meeting.

During the gathering, the Macao’s five policy secretaries and other officials involved in the city’s civil protection system respectively gave a progress report on relevant work done within their area of competency.

Mr Chui received a detailed report on the following topics: revisions to the Framework Law of Civil Protection; progress on building an integrated command system for the management of public emergencies; progress on the “Medium-to-long-term Plan for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in Macao” covering currently the period 2019 to 2028; updates on work to advance Macao’s meteorological forecasting capabilities; updates on optimising the city’s electricity supply system;  optimisation work relating to disaster shelters for the community; efforts at promoting public awareness of what to do in case of an emergency; and progress on an insurance scheme capable of covering major disaster. 

The meeting also received a progress report regarding construction of infrastructure. Such work included: a sluice system at the Inner Harbour; flood barriers in low-lying coastal areas; rainwater interception drains; and storm-water pumping stations in the Inner Harbour.

The Chief Executive was also briefed about the preparations and planning for this year’s typhoon season. He was also given a summary report on a recent civil defence drill codenamed “Crystal Fish 2019”.

Mr Chui directed the Government team to press ahead with construction of the relevant infrastructure. He also asked it to make advances in planning regarding the public-sector response to community emergencies. This was so that even the most challenging situations could be managed effectively.

After receiving the various update reports, Mr Chui made some further comments regarding Macao’s management of disaster prevention and mitigation work. He said enacting an evacuation plan for low-lying areas and closure of Macao-Zhuhai checkpoint during the period Typhoon Mangkhut affected Macao last year had been innovative measures for dealing with a particular public emergency. He asked the Government team to ensure that the experience gained from those steps was shared within the public sector, in order that such knowledge could contribute in the future to a comprehensive mechanism for disaster management.