
The typhoon, packing winds of 155 kilometers per hour, struck the eastern coast of Taiwan in the early morning of August 2, making landfall in the Xiulin district of Hualien county. The typhoon, which has caused four deaths in Taiwan, brought torrential rain and fierce winds. Volunteers set up relief co-ordination centers at branches across the island and concentrated on help to people in Hualien and Yilan counties, New Taipei and Taipei city.
Five villages in Xiulin received warnings of landslides. Under the direction of the county government, 550 people were evacuated to reception centers, in the county offices, activities centers and a primary school. At the request of the Xiulin government, volunteers immediately delivered instant rice, instant noodles, blankets and daily necessities to the centers and expressed their concern for those who had been moved there. On the afternoon of August 2, the districts of Heping and Heren asked for blankets; the volunteers provided 341, delivering them by helicopter.

The situation in the Chongde village of Xiulin district was more serious. Large quantities of earth and rock fell down the mountainside and into the houses 500 meters on each side of Provincial Highway 9. The roads were covered with rocks and stones and became impassable; they were quickly flooded. Miss Zhou, who has lived there for 30 years, said: “this is the first time that I have seen such a serious landslide.” She saw with her own eyes the muds and stones bursting into her house; she carried her one-year-old child onto the roof to escape. Such a terrifying experience remains etched in her mind; as she thought of it, her eyes were full of fear.

The torrential rain caused serious damage to Yilan county. On August 1, volunteers from Hualien delivered by rail 500 kilograms of instant rice and 50 boxes of instant noodles, for emergency use. It proved very timely. At lunchtime on August 2, nearly 100 volunteers prepared lunch boxes and delivered them as nearly 2,000 cooked meals to residents in three villages that had been flooded.

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