Taiwan recovers from Typhoon Soudelor

2015/08/11

Cross-sector efforts are underway to assist those regions of Taiwan affected by Typhoon Soudelor, which made landfall Aug. 7 bringing heavy rains and strong winds.

The category 5 typhoon dumped 1,000 millimeters of rain in most areas, and a maximum of 1,300 millimeters in northeastern Yilan County. It also lashed the island with winds of up to 200 kilometers per hour across a radius of 300 kilometers.

Seven people were killed, 402 injured and five reported missing in the wake of Soudelor, with 4.24 million households experiencing power outages—the largest typhoon-related blackout in the history of state-run utility Taiwan Power Co.

“Downed power lines and short circuits caused by gusting winds are to blame for the loss of electricity,” a Taipower official said. “Facility damage, including two wind turbines in northern Taiwan’s Shihmen District and six in central Taiwan’s Gaomei Wetlands, is estimated at NT$560 million [US$17.7 million].”

Transportation was disrupted because of Soudelor. A total of 23 provincial highways closed, Taiwan High Speed Rail and Taiwan Railways Administration temporarily suspended services and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport postponed 366 flights Aug. 8, affecting 120,000 passengers.

New Taipei City’s mountainous Wulai District was among the worst-hit areas during the typhoon, with access cut due to severely damaged roads. The ROC army special forces and National Airborne Service Corps rescued residents and airlifted supplies.

Other losses from Soudelor include NT$120 million in educational facilities. According to the Ministry of Education, 812 schools nationwide reported building and property damages, mostly in Changhua County and Kaohsiung and Taichung cities.

In addition, preliminary agricultural losses were pegged at NT$298.63 million. Eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County bore the brunt at over NT$87.8 million, according to the Council of Agriculture.

COA Minister Chen Bao-ji said the government is on top of latest developments and closely monitoring market distribution and supply. “We will spare no effort in helping farmers cope with the aftermath and getting production back on line.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=233567&ctNode=413)