Macau struggles to recover from typhoon

MACAU/HONG KONG: The head of Macau’s observatory stepped down on Thursday after chaos and confusion followed one of the strongest typhoons on record, in which at least nine people were killed and more than half the city was left without water and power.

Rescuers on Thursday searched submerged cars for trapped people in the former Portuguese territory, while overwhelmed emergency services scrambled to respond to crisis calls. Some casinos shut down while others were relying on back-up generators. Many residents and tourists complained that the government was woefully unprepared for Typhoon Hato and its destructive winds of more than 200 kph. Macau’s government broadcaster TDM said Typhoon Hato, a maximum signal 10 storm, was the strongest since 1968 to hit the world’s biggest gambling centre, home to around 600,000 people. —Reuters