Some people said it could take months, if not years, for their lives to return to normal.
``We're hoping the government will help us rebuild our homes, but I haven't heard any word yet,'' said farmer Chen Jung, who lost his home in the quake. ``I don't have enough money to rebuild or move to another city.''
Chen was among some 500 homeless in Chungliao's tent city, which bustled yesterday morning with people lugging around boxes of fruit, diapers, bottled water and other donated supplies.
At a food pickup point, a big box of pineapple mooncakes sat open, another sad reminder of the celebrations that should have been taking place yester-day. The round pastries are traditionally eaten during the festival, a holiday similar in nature to Thanksgiving in the US, when the moon is said to be at its fullest and most serene.
Its light will have meant little to residents of Kuohsing Township (國姓鄉), in Nantou County. With three quarters of their community's houses destroyed, residents have also been forced to sleep under the open sky for lack of tents. The township is located in a mountainous region, and the temperature fluctuates between a high of 30 degrees during the day to a low of 10 degrees at night. Scores of residents have caught colds as a result. Medical supplies are being sent to the village.
Some 100,000 people in Nantou County are now homeless as a result of the earthquake. Peng Pai-hsien (彭百顯), Nantou County Commissioner, yesterday said that the government will need at least a full year to rebuild the county.
RSS