Winds and torrential rain from Typhoon Danas inflicted NT$2.5 billion (US$85.58 million) in agricultural losses across central and southern Taiwan, with Tainan incurring the most damage, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said yesterday.
Damage in Tainan reached NT$929.03 million, and losses to banana crops alone accounted for NT$228.8 million, the ministry said in a statement.
The statistics, released at 11am yesterday, comprised data compiled by the Agriculture and Food Agency, Fisheries Agency, and Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, with data reported by municipal and county governments, it said.
Photo: Wang Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Other cities and counties that saw heavy damage included Chiayi County with NT$657.21 million in losses (26 percent of the total); Yunlin County with NT$421 million (17 percent); Changhua County with NT$265.94 million (11 percent); Kaohsiung with NT$105.36 million (4 percent); and Pingtung County with NT$95.27 million (4 percent), it said.
While losses were incurred across all agricultural sectors, crop damage alone was estimated at NT$1.76 billion, including NT$3.35 million in beekeeping losses, it said, adding that a total of 18,200 hectares of crops were affected. This accounted for an average damage rate of 37 percent, equivalent to 6,820 hectares with no harvest, it said.
The most severely affected crop was bananas, with 2,119 hectares damaged, it said. This was followed by pomeloes, which incurred NT$212.95 million in losses; guavas at NT$158.4 million; bamboo shoots at NT$144.07 million; and oranges at NT$124.83 million, it said.
Photo: Liu Pin-chuan, Taipei Times
In the livestock sector, estimated losses reached NT$34.63 million. Chickens accounted for the largest percentage of livestock losses, with 445,000 birds killed, accounting for NT$31.79 million followed by pigs, geese and ducks, it said.
Fisheries saw an estimated NT$251.51 million in losses, primarily among oyster farms. Forestry losses totaled NT$53.38 million, mainly due to damage to forest by-products such as bamboo shoots, it said.
Private facilities saw an estimated NT$405.3 million in damage, including flat-roof greenhouses and plastic-covered agricultural structures, accounting for NT$55.76 million in losses. This was followed by livestock facilities such as animal sheds, which incurred NT$234.33 million in losses, and fishery facilities and equipment (mostly fishing vessels), which incurred NT$115.2 million in damage, it said.
Photo courtesy of Taipower
Separately, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) yesterday said that 23,000 households were still without electricity due to power lines brought down by Typhoon Danas. The lines were primarily in Tainan and Chiayi County, and the scattered nature of their distribution was making the “last mile” of the restoration process particularly challenging, it said.
Unlike previous typhoons in recent years that made landfall in eastern Taiwan and were buffered by the Central Mountain Range, Danas hit the unprotected Chiayi-Tainan coastal plain directly, resulting in strong wind damage, it said.
Restoration of three collapsed steel towers at a substation in Chiayi had been particularly challenging, taking 67 hours and an aerial team to complete, Taipower said.
In total, the typhoon damaged or toppled 2,454 utility poles — the most on record from a single weather event — and about 98 percent of the broken poles were in Chiayi and Tainan, it said.
“Unlike after previous typhoons where power restoration often required only reconnecting lines, this time we had to remove downed poles using heavy machinery, clear roads, reinstall poles and restring lines,” the company said.
Rebuilding poles is time-consuming, and in some cases, replacing 20 poles might restore power to just five households, it said, adding that it had dispatched 24,000 personnel to restore power over the past week.
Additional reporting by Lin Ching-hua
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