Secretary for Economy and Finance, Tai Kin Ip, said Monday that Macau’s casinos will be ordered to close should the warning signal for approaching super typhoon Ragasa be raised higher than the No. 8 signal.
According to forecasts from the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau, Ragasa – currently swirling in the northwest Pacific Ocean – will threaten Macau within the next 48 hours and is expected to reach super typhoon intensity comparable to 2017’s Hato and 2018’s Mangkhut.
In response, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai convened a press conference on Monday alongside five secretaries to outline preparations for the super typhoon’s approach. Tai noted the anticipated significant impact of this storm.
“When the Ragasa warning signal is raised over No. 8, casinos will close,” he stated. “Following the typhoon, employers should flexibly arrange staff attendance as appropriate and allow sufficient time for employees to return to their workplaces.”
Macau’s current early warning system was established following Typhoon Hato’s landfall on 23 August 2017, which resulted in 10 fatalities and 244 injuries. Due to Hato’s destructive impact, most of Macau’s casinos experienced power outages during the onslaught, bringing gaming operations to a standstill. Subsequent government statistics indicated that Hato inflicted economic losses of MOP$12.55 billion (US$1.57 billion) upon Macau.
Consequently, the government and the public has placed significant emphasis on typhoon preparedness. When Super Typhoon Mangkhut struck Macau in September 2018, the government closed all casinos for the first time since 1847.
It also established a “civil protection legal regime” to address the impact of typhoons on the region.
The Macau government anticipates that super typhoon Ragasa could bring water levels approaching 5 meters, exceeding road surfaces by approximately 2 meters, with potential power outages. On Sunday, the government advised the public to prepare three days’ worth of provisions to cope with the situation.
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