More than 70 aftershocks have been recorded in Chiayi County and Tainan following the early-morning earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale that struck Chiayi’s Dapu Township (大埔) on Tuesday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.
More than 53 buildings in Tainan have reported damage from the main quake, the CWA said.
Nineteen of the aftershocks — which were concentrated in Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Nanhua (南化) districts — exceeded magnitude 4 on the Richter scale, it said.
Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Taipei Times
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said that the city government should endeavor to complete damage payments before the Lunar New Year holiday next week.
Huang said he has asked the Tainan Public Works Bureau to work with structural engineers to assess the affected buildings immediately.
We hope to allow people to return to their original residences if they are structurally sound, he said, urging those whose residences are deemed unsafe or that need work to seek temporary shelter with family.
Reconstruction efforts would commence immediately after the holiday, he added.
The Tainan City Government said that the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation had visited Nansi District and provided breakfast for people who have been displaced by the main earthquake.
Chiayi County reported two fires following the earthquake early on Tuesday morning, at a residential property and at a printing factory, but there were no injuries.
An apartment building in Chiayi City reported cracks in its outer walls, but a municipal government inspection determined that the “cracks” were actually flaking paint.
A crack formed in a second-floor wall at Jhongpu Township’s (中埔) police station, the Chiayi City Government said, adding that an inspection deemed the structure safe for continued use.
Beams at Dapu Lodge were cracked, and the people staying at the resort have been ordered out of the premises, the Chiayi City Government said.
Thirty-six schools in Chiayi County reported structural damage, including beams shifted out of position, cracks in walls and fallen tiles, it said, adding that a preliminary estimate was that repair fees for the schools would be NT$7 million (US$213,584).
The main earthquake forced the closure of 11 road sections in Dapu, Jhongpu and Fanlu (番路) townships, all of which were repaired by yesterday morning, it said.
Power outages affected 9,286 homes, while 527 had water outages, the Chiayi City Government said, adding that water services had all been restored as of yesterday morning.
Additional reporting by Hung Jui-chin, Liu Wan-chun and Wang Chun-chung
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