Hsichih (
But not drinking water. The water in Hsichih, that has a population of around 200,000, is yellow, muddy flood water. During the height of Typhoon Xangsane, which claimed 61 lives, flood waters rose to 2m, inundating 90 percent of the stores and diners that occupy the first floors of buildings in the town. So there is also no food.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Hsihchih residents said the town has been "dead" since Tuesday night. On Friday, most of the people along Tatung Road -- one of the worst hit areas, along with Changshu Road, near the train station -- were cleaning up, salvaging what furniture, household appliances and clothes they could.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"I knew that Hsihchih often flooded when I moved here, so I didn't dare buy any valuable furniture," Ting Yu-hua (
just about everything. Now I have nothing left," she said. Ting watched soldiers, who were mobilized to help clean her neighborhood, carry off her TV, washing machine and refrigerator to a nearby garbage truck. She sighed, with reddened eyes.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
As the silty waters spilled through low-lying Hsichih on Tuesday night, Ting watched as her ground-floor house flooded, the water level rising inch by inch. She was forced to take her family to the top floor of a nearby apartment, where they spent the night on the floor and used newspapers as their beds.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"The water came so quickly this time," said Ting's neighbor Chen Chin-tsai (
In some areas, Chen said, the water had risen even higher. "Before, you thought you'd be fine by going to the second floor. But my friend told me the water went right up to their chests, even on the second floor."
Chen Yu-chih (
By the time Typhoon Xangsane had departed Taiwan, nearly 117,000 households were without electricity and 90,000 households without water. The damage has been estimated at more than US$2 billion (over NT$64 billion).
So far, according to Hsichih police, the township has recovered seven bodies, all of whom are thought to have drowned in a basement. Some residents have reported more bodies being found in other basements, police said.
In Keelung, 15 people drowned while praying in a basement and local media reported that 14 people drowned while waiting to be rescued from a senior citizens care facility.
The only unaffected buildings in Hsichih were the high-rises on Hsih Tai 5 Road, most of which are the offices of hi-tech companies, including the headquarters of computer maker Acer. The Acer complex has now being used as an emergency center for flood victims, where dozens of Tzu Chih Relief Foundation volunteers are offering food and blankets to residents.
Typhoon Xangsane is far from being the first tropical storm to bring devastating floods to the Hsichih area. Two years ago, when Typhoon Reibor hit Taiwan, there were 38 deaths and NT$4.6 billion in agricultural losses. At that time, Hsichih was also the worst-stricken area. In fact, the town's name denotes the fact that it is prone to flooding. Hsih Chih means "end of tide" in Chinese and refers to a time when tidal waters crept unabated into the Keelung river valley and stopped in Hsichih.
The over-development of hillside lands in the last 10 years has increased the potential for flooding, according to water conservation officials. They say over-development has weakened the soil and affected water retention of hillside lands, causing steadily more serious flooding. Worsening the situation is the township's poor drainage system and an uncompleted dredging project.
On Friday, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
But promises after-the-fact seems to have done little for Hsichih's residents, who are frustrated after days without electricity, water and easy access to food. "I'm too tired to complain to the government," said Ting. "I just hate myself for buying a house in Hsichih."
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