President Lai Ching-te said Sept. 25 the government is making every effort to enable those in Hualien County affected by Typhoon Ragasa to return to normal life as soon as possible.
The president made the remarks during his visit to the eastern county to inspect the trail of destruction left by the typhoon. The powerful storm brought heavy rainfall and caused the overflow of a barrier lake on Matai’an Creek, leading to severe flooding in several townships earlier this week. The Ministry of the Interior reports that 15 individuals are confirmed dead and seven still missing.
Lai said a special account will be set up by the central government to accept private donations for those affected by the typhoon. He also instructed the Ministry of Agriculture to continue monitoring the water level in the barrier lake.
Under the president’s directive, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said a temporary bridge will be set up over the creek within a month, and a permanent bridge will be completed by the end of next year. The Water Resources Agency under the Ministry of Economic Affairs is also working to reinforce embankments before the flood season next year.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan conveyed his deepest condolences through an X post Sept. 24, and prayed for victims of the typhoon to be able to return to their normal lives quickly. The ministry said Kazuyuki Katayama, chief representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Keiji Furuya, chair of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council, and other members of the National Diet also offered their sympathies.
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung expressed sincere appreciation to the friends of Taiwan in Japan for such warm gestures, and said he expected the two sides to expand cooperation and exchanges in disaster prevention.
The representative offices of the European Union and countries like Belgium, Canada, Czechia, the U.K. and the U.S. also sent condolences through social media posts, which are immensely appreciated by the government and people, the MOFA said. (SFC-E)
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