TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) traveled to Tainan on Tuesday to inspect typhoon damage and listened to the concerns of farmers and fishermen.
Lai said his top priority was restoring power to affected areas as he urged Taipower to make every effort to repair and restore power. He also pledged to quickly distribute natural disaster relief, providing zero-interest loans for recovery purposes, per CNA.
Lai traveled to Tainan's Madou District in the afternoon to inquire about damage to pomelo orchards. He was accompanied by Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季), Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝), and Fisheries Agency Director-General Wang Mao-cheng (王茂城).
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) told Lai that although the typhoon did not cause large-scale flooding, winds were extremely strong, causing pomelo fruit to drop to the ground in many orchards. Huang said the financial loss was devastating to fruit farmers who have lost nearly a year's worth of hard work.
Huang said the current priority should be helping farmers clear fallen pomelos from their orchards as soon as possible. He hoped the Army could assist farmers with the cleanup, a request he said was subject to national security concerns.
Lai said that this typhoon hit from the west and caused damage in Yunnan, Chiayi, and Tainan. He added that the impact on the agricultural and fishery sectors has met the conditions for natural disaster relief cash distributions.
As for support from the Army, Lai said the Ministry of National Defense is conducting the annual Han Kuang military exercise. He said that troops not participating in combat exercises could be used to help farmers.
Lai said that if the MND is unable to deploy appropriate manpower for this task, he hopes the municipal government could contract private enterprises to assist farmers in collecting fallen fruit. He said the use of reserve funds could be considered an option if necessary.
Lai then went to Beimen District's Luzhugou Fishing Port to learn about damage to fishing boats. After a briefing by the Fisheries Agency, he met with fishermen to listen to their requests for assistance.
Many fishermen said a power outage that has lasted for three days has impacted their livelihood, as they hope power could be restored as quickly as possible. Others said that about 70% of the fishing boats and oyster farms in Luzhugou were damaged, and the oyster shucking sheds were also blown down.
In addition to relevant subsidies, fishermen hope that they can help add drainage pumps, embankments, and other water conservancy facilities that could be installed to prevent a similar disaster when the next typhoon comes.
Lai said that high-voltage towers, electric poles, and other equipment were severely damaged, with Taipower dispatching manpower from other counties and cities to assist the worst-hit areas of Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan. He said emergency repairs are occurring around the clock.
According to Lai, the government has also proposed the possibility of renting generators to assist farmers and fishermen in urgent need. As for improving facilities at the fishing port, Lai said the issue will be studied by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Fisheries Agency, and the Tainan City Government.
