Typhoon Soulik caused severe damage to the agricultural sector, with losses estimated at nearly NT$500 million (US$16.75 million) as of yesterday, according to the Council of Agriculture.
As of 11am, aggregate crop and private agricultural facility losses totaled an estimated NT$492.98 million, council officials said.
The figure included NT$446.68 million in produce losses, NT$6.66 million in livestock, aquaculture and forestry losses, and NT$39.64 million in damage to facilities.
The seven counties and cities hardest hit by the typhoon, which lashed northern Taiwan with strong winds and heavy downpours from late Friday through early Saturday, were Nantou, Yilan and Miaoli counties, Greater Taichung, Taoyuan County, New Taipei City (新北市) and Taitung County, in that order.
Rice, bananas, pears, persimmons and bamboos were the crops most seriously affected, council officials said.
The storm also caused heavy damage to schools, the Ministry of Education said, with 367 schools as of yesterday found to have suffered NT$39.45 million in damage, including 54 in Yilan County, 50 in Greater Taichung and 48 in New Taipei City.
However, Yungan Junior High School in Taoyuan County and Heping Kingdergarten in Greater Taichung were the only ones that were closed for repairs yesterday.
Soulik also knocked out power to nearly 1.15 million households, but 99.7 percent of them had seen their power restored as of noon yesterday, Taiwan Power Co said.
Only 3,467 households were still without power by then, mostly in Hsinchu, Nantou and Taoyuan counties, the company said.
Soulik killed three people, injured 123 and left one person missing, government figures show.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
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