Typhoon Doksuri devastated some of the smaller islands of Penghu County, destroying a nearly completed highway and cutting off the telecommunications services for days.
Two-thirds of the highway across Penghu’s General Islet (將軍嶼), which was scheduled to be completed by the end of next month, collapsed after being hit by the typhoon last week. A port pier also collapsed, causing some motorcycles to fall into the sea and destroying a ferry passenger’s waiting room.
The most serious damage was reported on Hua Islet (花嶼), which is Taiwan’s westernmost islet. The water intake units and pumps of the desalination plant get damaged, as communications were cut off for days. The seawall on the islet also collapsed, while its debris damaged the ships at the port.
Photo courtesy of Hsu Hsien-te
Communications on the islet were fully restored after Chunghwa Telecom repaired the telecommunications services.
The sign of Dongyuping Islet’s (東嶼坪嶼) fishing port was blown away by strong winds and an embankment road collapsed.
Meanwhile, multiple road damages due to seawater intrusion were reported on Dongji Island (東吉嶼).
Wangan Township Mayor Hsu Hsien-te (許賢德), Penghu County Councilor Chen Pei-jen (陳佩真) and other county officials are to travel to the islets in the South China Sea today to compile a damage report.
In related news, as of yesterday, the estimated agricultural loss was NT$92.57 million (US$2.95 million), and the area with crop damage was 2,474 hectares, the Council of Agriculture statistics said.
Kaohsiung is the city with most damage, as its estimated loss is NT$28.5 million. Bananas and watermelons are two products that were mainly affected, the council said.
The total loss of agricultural products and private facilities is estimated to be NT$94.42 million, the council said.
Kaohsiung’s loss is followed by NT$27.38 million in Hualien County, NT$26.37 million in Pingtung County, NT$4.86 million in Yunlin County, NT$3.24 million in Tainan and NT$293 million in Taitung County.
The product that suffered the biggest losses was bananas with estimated damage topping NT$27.35 million, followed by a NT$18.57 million loss in watermelons, NT$17.89 million loss in guavas, NT$11.92 million loss in rice and NT$4.65 million loss in edible corn, the council said.
The council also announced natural disaster relief funds for watermelon farmers in Hualien County’s Fonglin (鳳林) and Yuli (玉里) townships, and watermelon and cantaloupe farmers in Taitung County’s Guanshan (關山) Township.
The relief fund for watermelon farmers is NT$62,000 per hectare, while cantaloupe farmers can receive NT$80,000 per hectare, the council said, adding that farmers can apply to the town office within the jurisdiction of the announced area.
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
Prosecutors in New Taipei City yesterday indicted 31 individuals affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for allegedly forging thousands of signatures in recall campaigns targeting three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The indictments stem from investigations launched earlier this year after DPP lawmakers Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) filed criminal complaints accusing campaign organizers of submitting false signatures in recall petitions against them. According to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office, a total of 2,566 forged recall proposal forms in the initial proposer petition were found during the probe. Among those
ECHOVIRUS 11: The rate of enterovirus infections in northern Taiwan increased last week, with a four-year-old girl developing acute flaccid paralysis, the CDC said Two imported cases of chikungunya fever were reported last week, raising the total this year to 13 cases — the most for the same period in 18 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The two cases were a Taiwanese and a foreign national who both arrived from Indonesia, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The 13 cases reported this year are the most for the same period since chikungunya was added to the list of notifiable communicable diseases in October 2007, she said, adding that all the cases this year were imported, including 11 from
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
RSS