With typhoon season approaching, officials from the Municipal Affairs Bureau (also known by its Portuguese initials IAM) have been making visits to low lying areas of Macao to advise residents on flood preparedness.
Working through local associations, the IAM has also been distributing tools and cleaning supplies for emergency use in the event of flooding. According to a government statement, the bureau has also strengthened communications and coordination with residents’ groups.
Environmental hygiene is of particular concern in the event of flooding, which has the ability to scatter waste and refuse over a large area. The IAM is advising residents to keep garbage at home in the event of a serious typhoon and to not bring it to refuse collection points until after the cyclone has passed.
[See more: Global climate change is behind the rise in severe typhoons]
The city’s waste disposal operator, Macau Residue System Company, will also make a sweep of low lying areas in advance of a major typhoon and empty garbage collection facilities.
Many parts of Macao are vulnerable to storm surges in the event of a tropical cyclone.
The issue of flood management has become more pressing in recent years, with the frequency and severity of typhoons increasing as a result of climate change.
