The effects of Tropical Storm Fung-wong had caused 51 injuries and 349 disaster incidents across the country as of this morning, with 118 cases of flooding mostly concentrated in Yilan County, the Central Emergency Operation Center said.
Power outages affected 11,317 households with 5,907 still under repair, while 8,809 households experienced water shortages, with 370 yet to be restored, it said.
A total of 8,326 people had been evacuated by local governments in 10 counties and cities, with 62 shelters opened to accommodate 1,510 people, it added.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
The 349 disaster incidents include damage to infrastructure, buildings, roads and tunnels, landslides and fallen trees, it said.
Flooding was mostly concentrated in Yilan County’s Suao (蘇澳), Luodong (儸東) and Dongshan (冬山) townships, the center said.
There remain 26 flooded areas where water has not retreated, 25 of which are in Yilan, it said.
They are mostly farmlands and low-lying areas near drainage systems in Dongshan Township, where water depth ranges from 20cm to 130cm, it added.
Hualien County’s Mingli Village (明利) near the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) also reported flood water that has not receded, it said.
Yilan has experienced almost record-breaking rainfall, with Suao recording 328.5mm of rain in just three hours.
The figure nearly matches the main island of Taiwan's record hourly rainfall of 181.5mm, also recorded in Suao during Typhoon Megi in October 2010, the Central Weather Administration said.
Many areas of Suao faced severe flooding yesterday, submerging buildings more than one story high, with firefighters dispatched on rubber boats and the military deploying two AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles to rescue trapped residents, the township office wrote on social media.
As of 11pm last night, 199 residents had been evacuated, 98 of whom were placed in shelters, it said.
Residents began clearing up after the water retreated in the early hours of this morning, it said.
Suao Railway Station and the town’s busiest street, Zhongshan Road, were flooded up to half a story high and more than one story high in low-lying areas, it added.
Disaster response hotlines were ringing nonstop through the night and among the 199 evacuated were those with limited mobility, wheelchair users and parents with young children, it said.
Suao urgently needs a new flood diversion channel, township Mayor Lee Ming-che (李明哲) said.
He called on the central government to provide aid to affected households and promptly allocate a budget for the already-approved flood diversion channel project.
Flood damage in Suao has been extensive, with more than 1,000 households estimated to have been affected, with flood depths of 130cm to 140cm, he said.
The army’s Sixth Corps, military personnel, township staff and contractors would continue to assist residents in restoring their homes, including mud removal, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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