The Taiwan government is working hard to complete a massive reconstruction plan as the anniversary of the most deadly typhoon to impact Taiwan in half a century approaches.
Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan Aug. 8, 2009, leaving 677 dead, 22 missing and causing more than NT$100 billion in damages. The storm produced 2,777 millimeters of rainfall and mudslides that wiped out Siaolin in the southern county of Kaohsiung, killing around 500 in the village alone.
A Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council was soon established to handle a wide range of reconstruction works, including resettlement of typhoon victims, a victim employment plan, the repair of breached dikes and dredging of rivers, the distribution of relief funds and the revitalizing local industries, especially in agriculture and fisheries. A budget of NT$151.9 billion was allocated for relief and post-disaster reconstruction.
President Ma Ying-jeou, who was criticized for mishandling the post-disaster relief and subsequently suffered in approval ratings, pledged to relocate all the victims by the anniversary and reiterated the point in his weekly video address on July 31 -- but that goal will not be completed in time.
According to Premier Wu Den-yih, as of Aug. 2 only 1,480 of 2,586 affected households have moved into newly constructed permanent homes. Wu cited weather conditions in the worst-hit eastern and southern Taiwan regions for the shortfall.
The reconstruction work may not live up to people's high expectations, but Wu said on Aug. 1 that the government had done its best. Some lessons the government learned in the aftermath of the deadly typhoon were probably as important as the reconstruction work itself, the premier said, such as making disaster relief a core task for Taiwan's military forces and the integration of government agencies involved in relief efforts.
Wu also praised efforts by Taiwan's civic organizations in the past year.
All 63 repair projects in the most dangerous areas have been completed, Yang Wei-fuu, director-general of the Water Resources Agency (WRA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), said in a press conference Wednesday. Although less than 70 percent of all repair projects have been finished, they will be done by the next high-water season in 2011, Yang added.
Dredging of rivers is among the most difficult tasks, Yang said, noting that 1.2 billion cubic tons of gravel had filled river beds and reservoirs after the typhoon. The project is ongoing, but it will take years to finish the dredging, he said.
The WRA had dredged 87.2 million cubic tons of gravel -- approximately the same volume as 42 Taipei 101 buildings -- as of Aug. 1, he said. However, Dredging of the Taimali River in the eastern county of Taitung is way behind schedule, he added.
The MOEA also offered financial relief and mortgages to businesses in several towns in the worst-hit areas as well as providing assistance to businesses in the sectors of farming, fisheries, livestock and forestry.
The Council of Labor Affairs has said it has provided 13,940 employment opportunities for typhoon victims under its "August 8 Temporary Work Plan."
By Chris Wang CNA Staff Reporter
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