Typhoon Hato lashed Southern China two weeks ago. Hong Kong and Macau were struck head-on with strong winds and heavy rain. A widely-shared youtube video of Macau showed thousands of cockroaches getting out of their underground hiding places and crawling one after the other over a sea wall. It was a well-coordinated effort to march to higher grounds to flee from possible flooding caused by the tropical cyclone. Response to natural disasters: cockroaches versus humans It is impressive to see how cockroaches can prepare an advance contingency plan when there’s a perceived danger ahead. They manage to escape to safety in an orderly manner to avoid unnecessary casualties. It is said that animals and insects have the sixth sense to predict natural disasters. Unfortunately, as humans we don’t possess the same sense. When Typhoon Hato attacked Macau, the local observatory downplayed the severity of the storm and held back public warning ......