As the third tropical storm in two weeks approaches Macau, it is not only locals but foreigners who are living, studying or just traveling in the city who are accelerating their voluntarily efforts to help rebuild.
One of those volunteers is a Nepali named Reshem.
Reshem, who works for a pharmaceutical factory, spent four hours on Saturday clean up storm-related debris in the Rotunda de Carlos da Maia area with 17 Nepalese friends, Macau Daily reported.
Reshem said he had been living in Macau for six years and considered it his home, adding that he was saddened last week by the chaos caused by storms Hato and Pakhar.
He said it was his responsibility to give a hand to rebuild Macau.
Meanwhile, tourists have also been pitching in to the recovery efforts.
Gurupreet Singh and three companions came to Macau from India a month ago to visit one of his friends. They have been traveling around to experience the local life in the city.
Gurupreet said that though his stay in Macau would not be long, he worried a lot when he saw the suffering the storms brought to the city.
He and his friend joined a volunteer team to clean up debris in the Red Market area, where their hotel was located, and to help affected shops to move out goods and boxes damaged by flooding.
He said he had met a lot of local volunteers and they worked together without considering racial differences.
Zhang, a fourth-year student at the University of Macau from Anhui province in mainland China, said witnessing the storms’ destruction had left him in tears.
After studying in Macau for three years, he felt he was part of the community, so he mobilized other mainland Chinese students to assist in the cleanup of the affected areas.
Read: Foreigners help clean up after Macau hit by second typhoon