Macau was lashed by typhoons Hato and Pakhar in 2017. The Salvation Army Hong Kong and Macau Command utilised its resources in a joint relief effort, opening its Corps (Church) and service centres in Macau for collection of donated items. At the same time, over 100 volunteers were mobilised in teams for distribution of relief supplies, door-to-door checking and visits, cleaning the streets and recycling plastic bottles.
Teams of volunteers packed and distributed a thousand hygiene packs, each containing face masks, alcohol swabs, and a pamphlet on personal and environmental hygiene. The volunteers clear up refuse and disused articles on the streets to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases. Because of the large consumption of bottled water, The Salvation Army collects the bottles through collection boxes and centres, from where the bottles are delivered to other recycling partners to help reduce waste. The Salvation Army personnel and volunteers also conduct door-to-door checking to look for residents in distress, with a special focus on elders living alone and persons with disability, understanding their practical needs and providing them with emotional and spiritual support.
The Salvation Army expresses their gratitude to Hong Kong citizens for their generous donation of 600 cartons of emergency supplies and to students of the University of Macau for their help in collecting donated materials. These supplies include bottled water, dried food, disinfectants, garbage bags, etc. In their joint efforts the victims may get back to normal life as soon as possible.
