A flood response center would facilitate direct coordination between the central and local governments in Yunlin County, Chiayi and Tainan to address issues linked to areas affected by flooding on Monday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday during a visit to Tainan.
Cho visited parts of the city that experienced flooding due to heavy rainfall triggered by a combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds.
The flooding had caused losses for some businesses in the areas, he said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
To support the affected businesses, subsidies would be increased, he said.
Local governments provide NT$5,000 for businesses affected by flooding of 50cm or more, while the Ministry of Economic Affairs provides an additional NT$20,000, Cho said.
An additional NT$10,000 would be granted to registered businesses and vendors as further relief, he said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Cho, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) and Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) visited Baihe (白河) and Houbi (後壁) districts to inspect drainage improvement efforts.
Later, they went to Houbi’s Houbo Borough (侯伯), where they visited an elderly resident living alone whose home was affected by the floodwaters.
Flood mitigation projects arranged by local authorities would be prioritized in next year’s multiyear flood control budget, Cho said.
Photo: Lin Yi-chang, Taipei Times
Citing forecasts that predict more weather instability over the coming week, Cho said that the Executive Yuan would establish a command center in the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan region to coordinate direct responses between the central and local governments.
President William Lai (賴清德) has also instructed the military to fully assist with disaster relief efforts, he said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Environment and other agencies would operate under unified command from the center, Cho added.
The unstable weather that has affected Taiwan in the past few days continued yesterday due to the ongoing influence of southwesterly winds and the outer bands of Tropical Storm Co-May, the Central Weather Administration said.
Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that the unstable weather is expected to last until Aug. 4, with chances of scattered showers or thunderstorms.
Based on the latest European forecast model, a Pacific high-pressure system would intensify on Wednesday next week as southwesterly winds weaken, bringing hot and sunny weather to Taiwan, Wu said.
Tropical Storm Co-May, which was about 430km northeast of Taipei as of 8am yesterday and moving 22kph west-northwest, was headed toward China’s Zhejiang Province, he said.
The storm would have no further direct impact on Taiwan, he said.
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