Parts of Taroko National Park in Hualien County have reopened one year after an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale rattled eastern Taiwan.
Areas deemed stable are accessible for hiking and leisure, and planned concerts and environmental education activities aim to revitalize the region devastated by the deadly quake, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement yesterday.
Last year’s April 3 earthquake off the coast of Hualien was the biggest quake Taiwan had experienced since 921 Earthquake in 1999, which had a magnitude of 7.3. It claimed 18 lives, injured more than 1,100 people and dealt a heavy blow to Hualien’s tourism industry, the pillar of the local economy.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
The opened areas include the Taroko Visitor Center and places west of the Sibao (西寶) community, such as the Luoshao (洛韶) community, Guanyuan (關原) Recreation Area and Siaofongkou (小風口) Recreation Area, the ministry said.
Restoration work has also been completed at the Taroko Terrace and the Tianxiang (天祥) Recreation Area, it added.
Meanwhile, repairs to the Dekalun Trail (得卡倫步道), the Dali-Datong Trail (大禮大同步道), Chongde (崇德) Recreation Area and Dacingshui (大清水) Recreation Area are almost completed, with reopenings expected in the first half of this year, the ministry said.
Last year, NT$3 billion (US$90.67 million) was allocated for reconstruction, but much work remains to be done, it added.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
RSS