A photography exhibition documenting the rehabilitation process of areas devastated by Typhoon Morakot in 2009 opened in Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall yesterday.
Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan almost five years ago on Aug. 8, killing about 700 people, wiping out Siaolin Village (小林) in Greater Kaohsiung and destroying many houses, roads and bridges across several counties.
Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council chief executive Chern Jenn-chuan (陳振川) said the council published 42 books, made 21 documentaries and compiled 200,000 photographs and 2,000 news stories in the wake of the typhoon — all of which will be passed on to future generations.
The exhibition has a “permanent housing” motif to reflect the sustainable housing constructed for people displaced by the typhoon. It is focused on the restoration of Aboriginal areas, which includes the building of housing, bridges and churches in the wake of the typhoon.
The council said all rehabilitation work is to be completed on Aug. 8, when the council is to be officially disbanded. The exhibition is to run until Aug. 17, before moving to Greater Kaoshiung’s National Science and Technology Museum from Aug. 22 to Dec. 28.
Vice premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said the show was set to coincide with the end of restoration efforts to symbolize the nation’s full recovery from the disaster.
Mao touted the rescue missions and restoration work carried out by governmental agencies, but credited non-governmental organizations as the main facilitators of the rehabilitation drive.
Taiwan’s experience in rehabilitating areas affected by typhoons has earned it international acclaim and will be passed on to countries around the world as a valuable reference, he said.
The exhibition is to run until Aug. 17, before it moves to Greater Kaoshiung’s National Science and Technology Museum from Aug. 22 to Dec. 28.
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