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Additional military typhoon aid to be deployed in southern Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

2010/09/20 13:04:27

Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense announced Monday that an additional 4,477 military personnel and 315 pieces of machinery and equipment will be mobilized to the south of the country to boost rescue and clean-up efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Fanapi.

The additional troops will bring to 7,888 the total personnel dispatched to typhoon-struck areas by the end of the day. The ministry also noted that Army Chief of General Staff Lin Chen-yi had traveled south to personally assess the damage.

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) lifted a typhoon warning at 8:
30 a.m. Monday after category-3 Typhoon Fanapi left Taiwan heading westward toward China. Fanapi made its initial landfall at 8: 30 a.m. the previous day.

The wind, which at one point was packing sustained gusts of 198 kph, plus torrential rain, ripped into southern and eastern parts of the country, leaving two people missing and forcing thousands of people in Kaohsiung County, Nantou County, Chiayi County, Taitung County, Hualien County and Pingtung County to be evacuated to temporary shelters supervised by the military.

In Kaohsiung city and county, thousands of homes were severely flooded. In some cases, water levels were reported at over one-story high, leaving cars and motorcycles parked in underground parking lots completely inundated. One chemical factory owner estimated his damages at well over NT$100 million (US$3.15 million) because many of his high-tech machines and raw materials were destroyed by the flooding.

A day earlier, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu requested help from the central government in the form of heavy machinery, including as many as 20 water pumps. According to the city government, over 77 boroughs in the city's 11 administrative districts had reported heavy flooding.

The Social Welfare Bureau and district offices were dispensing emergency goods and food to the typhoon victims, while the Environmental Protection Bureau had also dispatched 2,000 people and 500 pieces of equipment to begin clean-up work, including disinfecting affected areas.

According to the CWB, Majia Village in Pingtung County had sustained the highest volume of rainfall at 1,126mm since Sept. 18, followed by Gangshan Township in Kaohsiung County at 942 mm. The Council of Agricultural estimated total agricultural damage at NT$266.93 million, with Hualien County the worst-hit area.

In related news, meanwhile, the CWB reported that the eastern county was hit by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake at 11: 17 a.m. Monday. There were no reports of injuries or deaths. (By Jenny W. Hsu) ENDITEM/J