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
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS