TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Recovery and cleanup efforts are ongoing in Hualien County following damage caused by Typhoon Ragasa on Sept. 23.
In a major show of public support, tens of thousands of volunteers from across Taiwan traveled to Hualien during the three-day holiday weekend. An estimated 30,000 people arrived on Saturday to help with cleanup, many wearing rubber boots and carrying shovels, per UDN.
Guangfu Township suffered the vast majority of the damage and recorded 17 deaths tied to the flooding from the Mataian Creek barrier lake overflow. After initial reports of dozens unaccounted for, seven people were still missing as of Sunday afternoon, per UDN.
Many of the volunteers who came to help over the long weekend used Taiwan Railways to reach Guangfu Township, with many returning home in the evening. As a result, many seats and carriage floors on TRA trains were covered in mud this weekend.
Taiwan Railways made a social media post thanking the volunteers for their compassion and enthusiasm, asking all passengers to excuse the temporary mess. “Mud makes for the warmest footprint,” read the post.
TRA urged volunteers traveling to and from Hualien to continue their work without worry, and to let TRA take care of tidying the train cars.
To assist with the logistics of disaster recovery work, the National Highway Administration temporarily lifted restrictions on the Hsuehshan Mountain Tunnel on Saturday to permit large trucks to pass, reported ET Today.
As of Saturday evening, 42 large trucks carrying construction gear and relief supplies were permitted to use the tunnel to reach Guangfu Township. Over 180 large vehicles have been given access to use the tunnel since recovery efforts began, with more expected in the coming days.
Despite the massive influx of volunteers, some residential areas are still in need of food, per UDN. The local government is also calling for assistance from civic groups and local residents to assist with temporary accommodation for volunteers and those who have been displaced by the flooding.
On Sunday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued guidance for volunteer operations from the forward relief command center, asking local officials and civic groups to ensure volunteers are looked after and managed effectively, per UDN. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) also made a statement thanking everyone for their cooperation for cleanup and relief operations.
