The 921 Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction Foundation (九二一震災重建基金會) announced yesterday a scheme to help some victims of the 921 earthquake get into new apartment blocks more quickly. The plan is privately funded to avoid the bureaucratic obstruction to its distribution that has inhibited the use of government-provided funds.
Under the NT$5 billion plan, the foundation intends to purchase the land on which quake victims formerly resided, rebuild the buildings, and then in turn rent the new housing units back to the earthquake victims.
Hsieh Chi-chung (
The foundation said it has decided to purchase and rebuild some quake-hit buildings at a price of NT$3 million per housing unit. The number of the homes on its purchase list totals 1,667.
The foundation predicts that the package will allow the construction of 50 buildings and help 6,660 families through their housing difficulties.
Hsieh pointed to the snail's pace of reconstruction so far, saying that the powerful 921 quake destroyed 114 buildings and affected 10,616 households, but that only three buildings have undergone reconstruction as of the end of last year.
A major obstacle to the reconstruction effort has been the absence of a clear and transparent demarcation of roles between central and local government agencies involved in the work. This has prevented victims and NGOs from knowing which agency is responsible for necessary permits and assistance.
To help victims rebuild their homes, the foundation approved the NT$5 billion fund that has been collected from private donations.
The foundation's plan to sell or rent these rebuilt residences to quake victims, or donate them to the government for social welfare programs, has run into some resistance from victims unhappy about losing their property. To address the issue, the foundation says the program will include a 75 percent rule, requiring at least that proportion of a building's residents to approve such a plan.
Quake victims who want to participate in the scheme must form an organization. If 75 percent of the building's residents agree, they can apply to the foundation to join the reconstruction plan.
The devastating earthquake, registering 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck Taiwan on Sept. 21, 1999, killing 2,400 people and wrecking more than 50,000 buildings across the nation. It was one of the most severe earthquakes in over a hundred years. A great number of the quakes victims remain homeless and feel disenfranchised.
The areas most seriously affected by the killer temblor are located primarily in central Taiwan, including Nantou County (
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