The armed forces expect to fully restore services to residential structures and main roads of areas in Hualien County ravaged by Super Typhoon Ragasa before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday.
The military has deployed 10,121 troops to assist reconstruction efforts in the county since Tuesday last week, when a barrier lake on the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) burst following torrential rainfall during the storm causing extensive flooding.
Troops have finished clearing mud from civilian structures in the hard-struck Guangfu Township (光復) and were ahead of schedule in other settlements, Koo said, adding that he is confident that President William Lai’s (賴清德) orders for restoring the area would be carried out before the deadline.
Photo courtesy of the military via CNA
Mid-Autumn Festival this year falls on Monday next week.
The Central Emergency Operation Center said that as of 6pm yesterday, 18 people had been killed, 125 people were injured and six people remained unaccounted for.
The disaster alert level for areas downstream of the barrier lake was “red,” as water continues to pour from the breach, the center said.
Photo: CNA
Other parts of the natural dam are also unstable, it added.
There were 5.95 million tonnes of water behind the dam at the most recent measurement, it said, adding that the volume was decreasing.
Starting today, flu vaccines would be available at health centers and clinics in the disaster zone to reduce the risk of an outbreak, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.
Residents in the affected area, as well as military personnel, volunteers and others involved in the relief efforts are eligible for government-funded vaccines, the health ministry said.
The Hualien County Government said that it plans to distribute NT$50,000 in relief aid to each household affected by the flooding, with the earliest distribution to be on Friday.
Taipei 101 was illuminated yesterday evening to express solidarity with residents of Hualien County and to thank “Shovel Superheroes” for assisting in cleanup efforts.
The Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief said donations to a dedicated account for Hualien flood relief are expected to reach its NT$500 million (US$16.39 million) target by the end of yesterday.
As of 11:59 pm on Monday, the account had received more than 200,000 donations totaling NT$493,774,663.
The foundation said it may continue fundraising until donations reach NT$1 billion or until the original Oct. 24 deadline, as disaster assessments are still underway.
Additional reporting by CNA
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