At least 130 people have been confirmed dead after Taiwan's worst typhoon in half a century. Adding up the figures of missing people in severe landslide areas, the death toll by Typhoon Morakot could be as high as 600. More than 300,000 households are reported to have no access to drinking water, while about 10,000 households are without electricity.
Rescuers continued to struggle on Monday to reach more than a thousand people still stranded a week after Taiwan was hit by its deadliest typhoon in half a century.
The efforts were hindered by harsh and inaccessible mountains. Massive landslides buried roads, tore apart railways, and destroyed bridges. The damage could take up to two years to repair, before any traffic can resume in these regions. Here, the only way to reach survivors is airborne.
Military helicopters are being used to transfer residents. A few amateur pilots have been allowed to help with the rescue operations. They flew their private planes to drop relief materials in designated zones.
In places where traffic is still possible, essential supplies such as drinking water were delivered by trucks. Some communities are digging for underground water, while authorities are racing to repair and rebuild. A committee has been set up to oversee the daunting task of relief and reconstruction.
By 9 am Monday, the total losses caused by typhoon Morakot had topped 12 billion new Taiwan dollars.
(CCTV August 18, 2009)
