A powerful typhoon caused at least three deaths Wednesday in Macau, according to local authorities in the Chinese gambling enclave.
Three men, aged 30, 45 and 62, were killed in falls and accidents related to the heavy rain and gusting winds from Typhoon Hato, and two other people were listed as missing, Macau’s Government Information Bureau said.
The typhoon came within 60 kilometers (37 miles) of the nearby financial center of Hong Kong before heading westward into mainland China, where it was gradually weakening.
In a note to investors Wednesday, Union Gaming Group Managing Partner Grant Govertsen, who is based in Macau, said the typhoon was the largest to hit the area in more than 20 years. Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd., and MGM Resorts International have significant casino holdings in the Macau market.
“Earlier in the morning all ferry services were suspended and remained suspended as of early evening – in fact, damage was done to both ferry terminals in Macau, which could delay the resumption of ferry service even longer,” Govertsen told investors.
“The border crossings were closed during the worst of the weather as well, while flights out of local and regional airports were cancelled,” he added. “The typhoon resulted in significant damage across all parts of Macau and most outdoor spaces in Macau (casinos or otherwise) will require extensive cleanup over the coming days, while we would expect many roads to be closed as trees and debris are removed.”
Govertsen said many of the major casinos remained opened, but with limited services and relied on backup generators for power.
In a statement, Macau’s gaming regulatory agency urged casinos in parts of city affected by the power outage “to cease gaming operations in order to ensure the safety of customers and staff.”
Stifel Nicolaus gaming analyst Steven Wieczynski told investors it was too early to gauge the storm’s impact on Macau’s casino market, which has experienced 12 straight months of increases.
“Although the full extent of the storm’s impact is hard to estimate at this point, we fully expect storm-related disruptions, notably dislocations in the transit system, to create some noise in the market’s August gross gaming revenue comparisons,” Wieczynski said.
China’s weather service said the storm made landfall around noon in the Pearl River Delta city of Zhuhai in the neighboring province of Guangdong.
Thousands of people were evacuated from parts of the mainland coast ahead of the storm’s arrival, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Train services were canceled, fishing boats returned to harbor and more than 4,000 fish farmers and their families came to shore, Xinhua said. Waves up to 10 meters (33 feet) high were expected in the South China Sea, the agency said.
Hato knocked out power in Macau, including at its famed casinos and a hospital, where backup generators kicked in.
Flooding and injuries were reported in Hong Kong, which lies across the water 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Macau, but there were no reports of deaths.
In Hong Kong, Hato forced the closure of businesses, government offices, schools and the stock market, leaving the city’s normally bustling streets eerily quiet. Airlines canceled 450 flights and ferry operators halted commuter services and routes to Macau and cities in the delta.
Hato’s fierce gales brought down trees, overturned trash cans and blew out windows on skyscrapers, raining shattered glass onto the streets below.
Weather authorities in Hong Kong raised the No. 10 hurricane signal, the highest level, for the first time in five years.
Howard Stutz contributed to this story for CDC Gaming
