The central government has allocated a budget of NT$55.1 billion (US$1.72 billion) for water control for next year, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, during a visit to Yilan County to inspect the damage caused by Typhoon Kong-rey.
Typhoon Kong-rey, which made landfall on Thursday, led to three deaths, 690 injuries and more than 10,000 recorded instances of damage as of yesterday afternoon, the Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) said.
The total budget for local governments to build and maintain water control infrastructure has been raised by NT$15.9 billion to NT$55.1 billion for next year to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, Lai said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
The central government allocated resources to local governments to bolster hydraulic engineering under the administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), with an annual budget of NT$10 billion being provided over eight years, Lai said, adding that during the era of former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the water control budget continued to be increased year by year to meet local needs, and that this year’s budget is more than NT$30 billion.
Lai said he hoped next year’s budget could be approved by the legislature as soon as possible to facilitate local hydrologic development.
While inspecting agricultural damage and losses, he said that the Ministry of Agriculture should “generously” raise the relief allowances for agricultural industry operators encountering natural disasters, as the New Taiwan dollar amounts have long remained unadjusted.
Photo courtesy of the Nantou County Fire Bureau via CNA
That could help agricultural workers, Lai added.
As of 11am yesterday, agricultural losses were more than NT$480 million, with Hualien and Yunlin counties suffering the most losses at NT$150 million and NT$170 million respectively, the CEOC said.
Rice crops were hit the hardest, followed by garlic, food corn, custard apples and peanuts, it added.
Meanwhile, four Nantou residents who were reported missing in the mountains before Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall were found and rescued yesterday following a two-day search, the Nantou County Fire Bureau said.
The four indigenous tribal hunters were spotted in the morning by National Airborne Service Corps personnel along the riverbed of the Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪), which is about 12km from Bukai, the county’s second-most populous village.
They were reported to be in good condition and transported to the nearby Aowanda Forest Recreation Area to prepare to leave the area safely, the fire bureau said.
The group had gone fishing in the mountainous area of Renai Township (仁愛) on Wednesday, one day before the powerful typhoon made landfall. Family members later lost contact with them and reported them missing to the fire bureau.
A rescue team of four set out to search for them on Friday, but helicopter support could not be deployed until yesterday due to adverse weather conditions.
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