Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2009-08-11 12:57 AM
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_conten..._Society_TAIWAN
Rescue teams tried to reach isolated villages in the wake of Typhoon Morakot yesterday, dropping supplies and freeing residents, or looking for travelers missing after bridges collapsed and roads were swept away. The official death toll rose to 14, with 51 people missing and 32 injured. Attention focused on Hsiaolin Village in Chiahsien, Kaohsiung County, where the fate of hundreds of residents was unclear after a mountainside collapsed. The village counted 1,300 inhabitants, according to official data, but it was not known how many were staying locally during the typhoon.
Helicopters brought 43 residents out during a short window of improved weather yesterday morning, though they were unable to land at the site. A further 50 people were still waiting for relief inside the village, reports said. The military were planning to send in more than 150 troops overland to try and reach the area.
Yesterday evening, reports said about 30 Hsiaolin residents were hiding inside a tunnel, but by that time, it was too dark to send a helicopter, rescue services said.
A similar situation also affected Namahsia Village in the same area, where 3,000 residents were staying without water, power, and food, reports said. The search also continued yesterday for motorists who had been swept away by water while driving. One body was reportedly found after seven cars carrying an estimated 12 people were believed to have crashed into a river near Chichi, Nantou County. Rescue workers found a car lying upside down on the rocks, but no sign of the driver.
Police was criticized for being too slow in cordoning off dangerous stretches of road in the mountainous area. Problems were allegedly reported just before 4:00 a.m. Sunday, but it took police more than an hour to show up and close the road. Linpien and Chiatung, two of the worst-hit townships in Pingtung County, were still flooded yesterday. The military drove armored personnel carriers into the area to intensify the evacuation.
Near Kaohsiung harbor, the authorities were trying to prevent a leak in a Panamanian chemical tanker which had run aground during the typhoon, reports said. The ship was only two years ago and was stuck on a sandy beach, reducing the risk of an oil spill, the authorities said. The authorities continued to collect information about the volume of damage to energy supplies and to infrastructure.
The state-owned Taiwan Power Corporation said 111,000 households were without electricity. Up to 580,000 households remained without water in Kaohsiung and Tainan Counties.
The Ministry of Education said the damage to 682 schools amounted to more than NT$180 million. It hoped the buildings could be restored to normal before the start of the next school year on Aug. 31.
Public transportation was set to suffer for months to come in some parts of Southern Taiwan, reports said. The southern cross-island railway passes through two of the most affected locations, Linpien in Pingtung County and Taimali in Taitung County. It could take up to six months to restore normal train service to some parts of Pingtung County, reports said.
Along the west coast, services resumed to as far south as Hsinying in Tainan County, with special bus services for travelers heading further south in the direction of Kaohsiung.
High speed trains were back in service yesterday, but on a revised schedule with extra trains and more seating available for passengers who bought tickets on the spot. The ferry connection between the outlying island of Matsu and the Chinese province of Fujian was still not functioning yesterday, though service between the other outlying island, Kinmen, and Fujian resumed yesterday.
Hundreds missing after Xiaolin mudslides
By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER, WITH STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, Aug 11, 2009, Page 1
Hundreds of residents of Xiaolin Village (小林), Kaohsiung County, were still missing yesterday after landslides caused by Typhoon Morakot devastated the area.
Rescuers said yesterday morning that at least 180 residents out of around 600 had survived the mudslides. Another 76 had been moved to safety as of yesterday afternoon.
One of the survivors, Lin Chien-chung (林建忠), told cable news channels that the village had been wiped out, including Xiaolin Elementary School, Chunghwa Telecom communications equipment and the health center.
Lin said he feared most of the 600 residents had been buried alive.
Kaohsiung County’s fire and police departments dispatched about 500 people to search for survivors after two people on Sunday afternoon informed the county’s Emergency Response Center that the village in Jiaxian Township (甲仙) had been destroyed.
The two people said they had received phone calls and text messages from friends and relatives in the village who said it had been destroyed by landslides early Sunday morning. Only 43 people had escaped the catastrophe, they said.
Only eight rescuers had made it to the village as of yesterday afternoon, the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center said.
In addition, 157 soldiers are being dispatched to the village, it said.
The emergency center said that Liukuei Township’s (六龜) Tsaonan (草南) and Chunghsing (中興) villages were also feared destroyed by mudslides or floods.
Reports had yet to be verified, the center said.
In a call to TVBS, artist Yang En-dian (楊恩典) said teachers at the Liukuei Children’s Home had called her and said that about 100 teachers and children were trapped in the area.
Yang said the teachers and the children — the youngest of whom is aged four — were in urgent need of food and medication.
They had managed to survive over the past few days by drinking water from the river, Yang said.
Rains continued to batter mountainous areas of Kaohsiung County yesterday, dumping more than 200mm of rain on heavily flooded areas.
This story has been viewed 2472 times.
By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER, WITH STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, Aug 11, 2009, Page 1
Hundreds of residents of Xiaolin Village (小林), Kaohsiung County, were still missing yesterday after landslides caused by Typhoon Morakot devastated the area.
Rescuers said yesterday morning that at least 180 residents out of around 600 had survived the mudslides. Another 76 had been moved to safety as of yesterday afternoon.
One of the survivors, Lin Chien-chung (林建忠), told cable news channels that the village had been wiped out, including Xiaolin Elementary School, Chunghwa Telecom communications equipment and the health center.
Lin said he feared most of the 600 residents had been buried alive.
Kaohsiung County’s fire and police departments dispatched about 500 people to search for survivors after two people on Sunday afternoon informed the county’s Emergency Response Center that the village in Jiaxian Township (甲仙) had been destroyed.
The two people said they had received phone calls and text messages from friends and relatives in the village who said it had been destroyed by landslides early Sunday morning. Only 43 people had escaped the catastrophe, they said.
Only eight rescuers had made it to the village as of yesterday afternoon, the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center said.
In addition, 157 soldiers are being dispatched to the village, it said.
The emergency center said that Liukuei Township’s (六龜) Tsaonan (草南) and Chunghsing (中興) villages were also feared destroyed by mudslides or floods.
Reports had yet to be verified, the center said.
In a call to TVBS, artist Yang En-dian (楊恩典) said teachers at the Liukuei Children’s Home had called her and said that about 100 teachers and children were trapped in the area.
Yang said the teachers and the children — the youngest of whom is aged four — were in urgent need of food and medication.
They had managed to survive over the past few days by drinking water from the river, Yang said.
Rains continued to batter mountainous areas of Kaohsiung County yesterday, dumping more than 200mm of rain on heavily flooded areas.
This story has been viewed 2472 times.
I pray for the best.
In Japan - 13 killed 10 missing so far
In Japan - 13 killed 10 missing so far
the mainland should send aid to Taiwan to repay them for their help with last year's earthquake
Following youtube video shows that hotel that toppled over into that raging river.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bi6fVO7tn4...feature=related
Chances are that hotel would not have toppled over if on the sides of the river bank below the hotel they had built a thick concrete wall with heavy rebar. Seems some parts of Taiwan need to invest more in this.
Following is the Los Angeles flood of 1938:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAQ1gxYvvmw
Because of that 1938 flood they constructed concrete flood channels out of the LA river.
Following video shows how it worked out. This is in 2005. If not for the concrete walls the river would have jumped the bank and flooded the city.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2R5MxBLDLc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bi6fVO7tn4...feature=related
Chances are that hotel would not have toppled over if on the sides of the river bank below the hotel they had built a thick concrete wall with heavy rebar. Seems some parts of Taiwan need to invest more in this.
Following is the Los Angeles flood of 1938:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAQ1gxYvvmw
Because of that 1938 flood they constructed concrete flood channels out of the LA river.
Following video shows how it worked out. This is in 2005. If not for the concrete walls the river would have jumped the bank and flooded the city.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2R5MxBLDLc
it kinds of sad to see mother nature always win in the end. 
people, on tv, were crying and looked desperately for help.
luckily i stay away, otherwise would have been flush away easily since i unable to swim.
hope all people are safe.
people, on tv, were crying and looked desperately for help.
luckily i stay away, otherwise would have been flush away easily since i unable to swim.
hope all people are safe.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8196543.stm
Taiwan mudslide hundreds 'alive'
About 700 people missing in southern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot have been found alive, say army officials.
People from four villages are said to have made it to higher ground before mud and rock engulfed their homes.
Among the survivors found by rescue teams are 200 from Hsiaolin village, reports the Taiwan Central News Agency.
Frantic rescue efforts have been ongoing in Hsiaolin and surrounding villages since the weekend to find hundreds of people believed missing.
The typhoon struck Taiwan at the weekend, killing at least 60 people and causing the worst flooding in 50 years.
Military helicopters have been ferrying villagers out of communities cut off by the storms and floods.
The storm also hit mainland China, where about 1.4 million people were evacuated from coastal areas and eight people died in flooding.
Taiwan mudslide hundreds 'alive'
About 700 people missing in southern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot have been found alive, say army officials.
People from four villages are said to have made it to higher ground before mud and rock engulfed their homes.
Among the survivors found by rescue teams are 200 from Hsiaolin village, reports the Taiwan Central News Agency.
Frantic rescue efforts have been ongoing in Hsiaolin and surrounding villages since the weekend to find hundreds of people believed missing.
The typhoon struck Taiwan at the weekend, killing at least 60 people and causing the worst flooding in 50 years.
Military helicopters have been ferrying villagers out of communities cut off by the storms and floods.
The storm also hit mainland China, where about 1.4 million people were evacuated from coastal areas and eight people died in flooding.
From what I read in Taiwanese news, death doll will probably be a few hundred.
Wow....few hundreds? I hope it wont be so bad.
I thought it was a routine kind of typhoon.....so I didnt follow this news very much
I thought it was a routine kind of typhoon.....so I didnt follow this news very much
How come TAiwan was hit so hard as opposed to Mainland China and Japan
Taiwan leader says more than 500 dead in typhoon
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, under mounting pressure over his government's response to a devastating typhoon, on Friday estimated that more than 500 people had died in flooding and mudslides.
Survivors and the main opposition party say efforts to rescue people stranded in remote mountain villages have been slow or insufficient, criticism that could hurt the image of the president and his party ahead of year-end local elections.
Ma gave his estimate of the death toll, a jump from the official count of 118, at a national security meeting, as local officials estimated 200 to 300 had died in a mudslide that leveled most of Hsiao Lin, a village in the south.
Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan a week ago, but the scale of the disaster only started to become clear this week after the storm had weakened over neighboring China.
Increased pressure on Ma, who was elected in 2008, could drain support for his Nationalist Party (KMT) in city and county elections in December, analysts say.
Some are also calling for Ma to reshuffle his cabinet and may think long-term that he "doesn't care," said Hsu Yung-ming, a political science professor at Soochow University in Taipei.
"The whole thing looks in disarray in the public's opinion," said Alex Chiang, who teaches political science at National Cheng Chi University in Taipei. "They were caught off-guard."
Officials say they could not have reacted faster because of sustained rains in the disaster area, grounding rescue helicopters.
"From a victim's point of view, waiting just one minute is too late," Premier Liu Chao-shiuan told a news conference.
CREWS OPEN ROAD TO STRICKEN AREA
After days of dispatching helicopters to rescue survivors and distribute emergency food in Hsiao Lin, authorities opened a road into the stricken village on Thursday.
But it was unlikely that anyone trapped on Monday in the landslide had survived, said local township chief Liu Chien-fang.
In the neighboring village of Liu-Guei, more than 200 people had fled while 32 were feared buried. Only roofs of houses could be seen as most of the structures had been buried in mud.
Morakot caused about T$30 billion ($910 million) in losses to agriculture and infrastructure and reconstruction is expected to cost about T$120 billion. The government spent about the same amount after a 1999 earthquake that killed 2,400 people.
The foreign ministry issued a donation request list to foreign countries that includes 1,000 prefabricated houses and helicopters that can lift trucks and excavators. U.S. officials said they were looking at ways they could help.
In China, which claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan, companies and charities had raised more than 100 million yuan ($14.63 million) in donations, the official Xinhua news agency said.
"Taiwan's disaster has tugged on the heartstrings of mainland (China) compatriots," an official was quoted as saying. "The mainland is willing to provide whatever help it can."
The typhoon has knocked out 34 bridges and severed 253 segments of road in Taiwan, with repairs expected to take up to three years in the worst spots, the transportation ministry said.
A swollen lake in the mountains of southeastern Taiwan began to spill its banks on Friday shortly after people downstream had evacuated, the National Fire Agency disaster center said.
In Cishan, a storm-ravaged town of 41,000, both road bridges had collapsed, smashing houses and taking down cars. Residents jammed a footbridge which remained standing.
"My store has been closed for days because I figured no one could get to it," said Chen Chih-lu, who owns a furniture shop in Cishan. "My guess is 90 percent of us are digging out of mud."
(Additional reporting by Pichi Chuang in Liu-guei, Taiwan; Roger Tung in Taipei and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie)
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, under mounting pressure over his government's response to a devastating typhoon, on Friday estimated that more than 500 people had died in flooding and mudslides.
Survivors and the main opposition party say efforts to rescue people stranded in remote mountain villages have been slow or insufficient, criticism that could hurt the image of the president and his party ahead of year-end local elections.
Ma gave his estimate of the death toll, a jump from the official count of 118, at a national security meeting, as local officials estimated 200 to 300 had died in a mudslide that leveled most of Hsiao Lin, a village in the south.
Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan a week ago, but the scale of the disaster only started to become clear this week after the storm had weakened over neighboring China.
Increased pressure on Ma, who was elected in 2008, could drain support for his Nationalist Party (KMT) in city and county elections in December, analysts say.
Some are also calling for Ma to reshuffle his cabinet and may think long-term that he "doesn't care," said Hsu Yung-ming, a political science professor at Soochow University in Taipei.
"The whole thing looks in disarray in the public's opinion," said Alex Chiang, who teaches political science at National Cheng Chi University in Taipei. "They were caught off-guard."
Officials say they could not have reacted faster because of sustained rains in the disaster area, grounding rescue helicopters.
"From a victim's point of view, waiting just one minute is too late," Premier Liu Chao-shiuan told a news conference.
CREWS OPEN ROAD TO STRICKEN AREA
After days of dispatching helicopters to rescue survivors and distribute emergency food in Hsiao Lin, authorities opened a road into the stricken village on Thursday.
But it was unlikely that anyone trapped on Monday in the landslide had survived, said local township chief Liu Chien-fang.
In the neighboring village of Liu-Guei, more than 200 people had fled while 32 were feared buried. Only roofs of houses could be seen as most of the structures had been buried in mud.
Morakot caused about T$30 billion ($910 million) in losses to agriculture and infrastructure and reconstruction is expected to cost about T$120 billion. The government spent about the same amount after a 1999 earthquake that killed 2,400 people.
The foreign ministry issued a donation request list to foreign countries that includes 1,000 prefabricated houses and helicopters that can lift trucks and excavators. U.S. officials said they were looking at ways they could help.
In China, which claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan, companies and charities had raised more than 100 million yuan ($14.63 million) in donations, the official Xinhua news agency said.
"Taiwan's disaster has tugged on the heartstrings of mainland (China) compatriots," an official was quoted as saying. "The mainland is willing to provide whatever help it can."
The typhoon has knocked out 34 bridges and severed 253 segments of road in Taiwan, with repairs expected to take up to three years in the worst spots, the transportation ministry said.
A swollen lake in the mountains of southeastern Taiwan began to spill its banks on Friday shortly after people downstream had evacuated, the National Fire Agency disaster center said.
In Cishan, a storm-ravaged town of 41,000, both road bridges had collapsed, smashing houses and taking down cars. Residents jammed a footbridge which remained standing.
"My store has been closed for days because I figured no one could get to it," said Chen Chih-lu, who owns a furniture shop in Cishan. "My guess is 90 percent of us are digging out of mud."
(Additional reporting by Pichi Chuang in Liu-guei, Taiwan; Roger Tung in Taipei and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie)
QUOTE (newties21 @ Aug 12 2009, 08:56 AM) 
Wow....few hundreds? I hope it wont be so bad.
I thought it was a routine kind of typhoon.....so I didnt follow this news very much
I thought it was a routine kind of typhoon.....so I didnt follow this news very much
It is now.
How come so many ppl died?
Did Taiwan underestimated the Typhoon?
OMG.. more than 500 deaths so far........
Did Taiwan underestimated the Typhoon?
OMG.. more than 500 deaths so far........
QUOTE (PKRussel @ Aug 15 2009, 03:22 AM)
Did Taiwan underestimated the Typhoon?
Yes. No excuse.
QUOTE (hozobo @ Aug 14 2009, 05:17 AM)
Taiwan leader says more than 500 dead in typhoon
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, under mounting pressure over his government's response to a devastating typhoon, on Friday estimated that more than 500 people had died in flooding and mudslides.
Survivors and the main opposition party say efforts to rescue people stranded in remote mountain villages have been slow or insufficient, criticism that could hurt the image of the president and his party ahead of year-end local elections.
Ma gave his estimate of the death toll, a jump from the official count of 118, at a national security meeting, as local officials estimated 200 to 300 had died in a mudslide that leveled most of Hsiao Lin, a village in the south.
Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan a week ago, but the scale of the disaster only started to become clear this week after the storm had weakened over neighboring China.
Increased pressure on Ma, who was elected in 2008, could drain support for his Nationalist Party (KMT) in city and county elections in December, analysts say.
Some are also calling for Ma to reshuffle his cabinet and may think long-term that he "doesn't care," said Hsu Yung-ming, a political science professor at Soochow University in Taipei.
"The whole thing looks in disarray in the public's opinion," said Alex Chiang, who teaches political science at National Cheng Chi University in Taipei. "They were caught off-guard."
Additional reporting by Pichi Chuang in Liu-guei, Taiwan; Roger Tung in Taipei and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie)
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, under mounting pressure over his government's response to a devastating typhoon, on Friday estimated that more than 500 people had died in flooding and mudslides.
Survivors and the main opposition party say efforts to rescue people stranded in remote mountain villages have been slow or insufficient, criticism that could hurt the image of the president and his party ahead of year-end local elections.
Ma gave his estimate of the death toll, a jump from the official count of 118, at a national security meeting, as local officials estimated 200 to 300 had died in a mudslide that leveled most of Hsiao Lin, a village in the south.
Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan a week ago, but the scale of the disaster only started to become clear this week after the storm had weakened over neighboring China.
Increased pressure on Ma, who was elected in 2008, could drain support for his Nationalist Party (KMT) in city and county elections in December, analysts say.
Some are also calling for Ma to reshuffle his cabinet and may think long-term that he "doesn't care," said Hsu Yung-ming, a political science professor at Soochow University in Taipei.
"The whole thing looks in disarray in the public's opinion," said Alex Chiang, who teaches political science at National Cheng Chi University in Taipei. "They were caught off-guard."
Additional reporting by Pichi Chuang in Liu-guei, Taiwan; Roger Tung in Taipei and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie)
I heard the exact same thing too. The public opinion was that Ma and the KMT did not care what happened in the Southern part of Taiwan which is primarily dominated by the DPP supporters. President's Ma's reaction was too too slow. The public opinion was during the Lee and Chen's administration, the reaction to natural disaster was much faster and more caring. Under former Lee's administration. President Lee was seen directing the military to support the rescue efforts within 24 hours. Not so with Ma.
There is nothing Taiwan, HK, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan can do to prevent natural disasters. That whole region is on big earthquake zone. The ground is very unstable. Regardless how well the buildings are built or how well the rail roads are built , they will always shift , move and crack. When I was in Taiwan there were small earthquakes every month.
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