U.S. C-130 brings plastic sheeting for typhoon relief
ROC Central News Agency
2009/08/16 17:31:27
Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) A United States military C-130 transport plane arrived Sunday at Tainan Air Force Base with a cargo of plastic sheeting to help with reconstruction efforts in the wake of Typhoon Morakot.
It marked the first time that a U.S. military transport aircraft had landed in Taiwan in the name of humanitarian aid since the United States switched political recognition from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China in 1979.
The aircraft arrived in Tainan at 2: 50 p.m. local time and flew back to Okinawa immediately after discharging its cargo.
Christopher Kavanagh, press officer of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) , told the Central News Agency that the C-130 aircraft took off from the U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan, at noon, carrying 120 rolls, or 15,200 pounds, of plastic sheeting that can be used for temporary shelter during the reconstruction process.
“We have been looking at what materials are available and what kind of services we have to commute the items Taiwan needs,”Kavanagh said.
Asked when the heavy-lift helicopters that Washington has decided to send will arrive, Kavanagh said that the mission is in progress but details have yet to be confirmed.
Taiwan has been receiving humanitarian aid from countries around the world in recent days to help with disaster relief efforts after Typhoon Morakot battered Taiwan Aug. 7-9, triggering massive flooding and deadly landslides throughout southern Taiwan.
Although the official death toll from the storm stood at 124 as of 10 p.m. Saturday, hundreds more are feared to have been buried in landslides in remote mountainous villages, especially in Siaolin in Kaohsiung County.
(By Rachel Chan) Enditem/ls
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