Gaming operator Sands China said in a statement yesterday that it will donate 65 million patacas to assist with long-term relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts in Macau in the aftermath of Typhoon Hato.
According to the statement, the 65 million patacas is a combination of 30 million patacas from Sands China and 35 million patacas from the Adelson Family Foundation.
“We are saddened by the loss inflicted on so many, but inspired by the perseverance and dedication of all those who have already begun the important process of rebuilding,” Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands and Sands China, was quoted as saying by the statement.
“Providing financial resources in support of that effort is a responsibility that Sands China and the Adelson family make without
hesitation,” Adelson added.
The statement said that some of the company’s employees are working with authorities to help check and repair buildings, offering
technical assistance and spare parts, as well as assisting in stabilising recently restored electricity and water services.
In addition, according to the statement, the company is providing engineering assistance to the Macau Deaf Association to secure
and improve the group’s premises, secure homes on the waterfront in Coloane village by repairing roofs and other structural damage to ensure they are safe for families to return home.
Sands China is also donating to four local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Caritas Macau and Fuhong Society of
Macau to repair motor vehicles damaged during the typhoon, as well as having made available four seven-seater people carriers
to Caritas Macau to ensure their “Good Take Express” service can continue operating, according to the statement.
The statement said that several thousand Sands China staff helped clean up debris in the streets and schools affected by the typhoon,
apart from transporting bottled water from Hong Kong to Macau on its Cotai Water Jet ferries for distribution to the public.
The statement also said Sands China would expedite payments to micro-enterprises, young entrepreneurs and “Made-in-Macau” companies it currently works with, if necessary.
For children who lost their parents in Typhoon Hato, the statement said the company would set up a fund to support their education.
