Taitung has asked the central government for help in sourcing construction materials to repair damage to heritage sites and cultural activity centers caused by Typhoon Nepartak, Taitung County Commissioner Huang Chien-ting (黃健庭) said on Tuesday during an inspection of properties affected by the storm.
The Taitung County Government is in short supply of some materials, including glass, doors, windows and metal sheets, Huang said, adding that requests have been filed to the central government so that it might intercede with manufacturers.
The commissioner inspected the Taitung Art Museum, Sintung Sugar Factory Culture Park and Japanese-style colonial apartments.
Photo: Chang Tsun-wei, Taipei Times
The museum and the Taitung County Cultural Affairs Bureau Library yesterday remained closed to the public.
The library said it needed 10 more days to complete repair work, while the museum said it expected to complete repairs by July 26.
Nepartak caused an estimated NT$130 million (US$4 million) in damage to private and public cultural sites throughout the county, Taitung County Cultural Affairs Director Chung Ching-po (鍾青柏) said, adding that the sugar factory, the colonial apartments and 31 privately maintained sites had suffered significant damage.
Chung said the county government planned to request subsidies from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) was scheduled to inspect storm damage yesterday.
Taitung’s public schools were also damaged by the storm and Dunghai Junior High School reported NT$450 million in damage, Chung said.
The county government has recruited professional and volunteer electricians, metal workers and crane operators from areas outside of its jurisdiction, but acute construction material shortages had slowed repairs at sites throughout the county, he said.
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