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世界觀點中的莫拉克風災 Global Views on Taiwan Morakot Disater (English)
Title: [HEADLINE] Taiwan toll set 'to rise sharply'
Source: Al Jaseera English 2009/08/14
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/08/20098149414289785.html
Taiwan toll set 'to rise sharply'
Roads damaged by the storm have hampered rescue and relief efforts in the worst-hit areas [Reuters]
Taiwan's president has said the death toll from the floods triggered by Typhoon Morakot could top 500 people.
The announcement came as rescuers struggled to rescue thousands more trapped in mountain villages.
Ma Ying-jeou said on Friday that he expects the islandwide toll to rise sharply in the coming days.
"With 117 confirmed deaths from the typhoon and some 380 people feared buried by mudslides in Hsiaolin village, Taiwan's death toll could rise to more than 500," he told a national security meeting.
Ma said the whole nation would mobilise to help the victims, saying: "The government will overcome all obstacles to accomplish the mission."
For his part, Liu Chao-shiuan, the prime minister, said flood-related losses were estimated to be around $3.4bn although he did not specify the type.
More than 50,000 soldiers deployed to remote areas continue to battle raging rivers and fallen bridges to reach victims trapped in southern and central Taiwan.
Waiting for rescue
Local media is reporting that dozens of communities in southern Taiwan cut off by the storm are still waiting for rescue, nearly a week after the deluge.
Relief workers in the south of Taiwan have struggled to reach many areas, where roads have been cut by landslides and bridges washed away.
Authorities earlier said the official death toll from the storm had risen to 116. But government officials said the figure did not include an estimated 300 people believed to have been buried in a mudslide in Hsiao Lin, one of the worst-hit mountain villages.
"The county magistrate gave the premier a report that in his judgment about 300 were dead," the Reuters news agency reported, quoting the head of Taiwan's government information office.
"These are the conditions now. Specific numbers will depend on the army opening the road and sending people in," the official said, in reference to Hsiao Lin.
Stephen Chen, the secretary-general of the Taiwan Red Cross Society, said rescue teams are searching for survivors in Hsiao Lin.
But he told Al Jazeera that heavy rains were hampering search efforts, even though they have eased in some parts of the island.
"If the weather gets better, then we can have more rescue teams going to the village," he told Al Jazeera on Friday.
In addition, Chen said, rescue teams need better resources, including newer helicopters, to tackle the recovery operation.
"Some of our helicopters are too old for these rescue needs. This kind of helicopter is more than 30 years old, and is not good enough. So we would like to have better helicopters."
Pressure mounting
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on the government to speed up rescue and recovery efforts.
Many survivors from the hardest hit areas have said more lives could have been saved if authorities had acted more quickly.
At one rescue centre tempers flared as relatives desperate for news of missing loved-ones fought with police and soldiers as they tried to storm their way on to helicopters heading to the disaster zone.
Taiwan has issued an appeal for international help as it steps up rescue efforts [AFP]
Newspaper editorials in Taiwan have also criticised the official response to the disaster - saying Ma was too slow to send in troops to help.
But the government has said it is ready to put more money into the rescue efforts and already has plans for rebuilding communities devastated in the storm.
Al Jazeera's Steve Chao, reporting from Kaohsiung county - one the hardest-hit regions - said it is difficult to gauge how accurate the criticism has been.
"We saw a huge presence of rescue workers and aid organisations and we saw a lot of the military soldiers working very hard ..., so it is difficult to get a true picture of how well or how poorly co-ordinated the relief effort has been," he said.
"We are aware of at least two communities that were not so much ignored, but did not receive aid fast enough.
"Some of the survivors were forced to live on water that they could find for themselves before aid arrived.
"So there is criticism. How real or true this is is still difficult to say. We will get a clear picture of that in the coming days."
The government issued an appeal on Thursday for international help, including heavy-lift helicopters, as part of efforts to locate and rescue the thousands of people still missing or stranded across the island.
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Title: Taiwanese hauled to safety across raging river
Source: Washington Post/ By PETER ENAV, The Associated Press, Thursday, August 13, 2009; 4:08 PM
A volunteer carries a rescued infant trapped by Typhoon Morakot by helicopter to an emergency landing zone in Cishan, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Taiwan's military continued to airlift survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, as it announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Taiwan military and volunteers bring rescued elderly and children trapped by Typhoon Morakot by helicopter to an emergency landing zone in Cishan, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Taiwan's military continued to airlift survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, as it announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Relatives of victims wait patiently for Taiwan military bringing rescued residents trapped by Typhoon Morakot to an emergency landing zone in Cishan, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Taiwan's military continued to airlift survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, as it announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Taiwan military and Red Cross volunteers bring rescued boys trapped by Typhoon Morakot to an emergency landing zone in Cishan, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Taiwan's military continued to airlift survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, as it announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
In this image released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers and rescuers help victims evacuate flooded village Laiji, following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers and survivors unload provisions for victims of Typhoon Morakot in Laiji valley, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. The typhoon caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers remove mud following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
A victim stands in front of a destroyed house in the flooded village of Liugui following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo)
In this image released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers help victims evacuate the flooded village of Laiji, following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
A rescuer glides on a rope into river to reach the flooded village of Liugui following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo)
In this image released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, members of the Aboriginal community thanks as a military helicopter arrives to bring relief supplies and to move victims out of the area after the village was damaged by Typhoon Morakot in Laiji Village, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers disinfect following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
Taiwan military soldiers rescue a villager on an emergency cable sling strung across the Ba Si Lan river in Sinfa, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, five days after flash flooding from Typhoon Morakot took the lives of 32 fellow villagers. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Taiwanese rescuers hold babies before crossing the river to evacuate the flooded village of Liugui following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. Some 14,000 villagers have been rescued _ including 600 on Thursday _ since Typhoon Morakot dumped more than 80 inches (2 meters) of rain this past weekend, the island's disaster relief center said. The storm unleashed the worst floods the island has seen in 50 years. (AP Photo)
Taiwan military rescue villagers on an emergency cable sling strung across the Ba Si Lan river in Sinfa, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Taiwan military rescue villagers on an emergency cable sling strung across the Ba Si Lan river in Sinfa, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, five days after flash flooding from Typhoon Morakot took the lives of 32 fellow villagers. The sign reads 32 dead in their village from Typhoon Morakot's flooding. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) (Wally Santana - AP)
Taiwan military rescue villagers on an emergency cable sling strung across the Ba Si Lan river in Sinfa, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, five days after flash flooding from Typhoon Morakot took the lives of 32 fellow villagers. Hundreds of villagers fled their homes minutes before a flood-created lake burst Thursday, as the Taiwanese military deployed thousands more troops to rescue and deliver supplies to survivors from remote villages devastated during last weekend's typhoon. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) (Wally Santana - AP)
A Taiwanese woman prays for victims during a donation ceremony following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Taipei, Taiwan. Some 14,000 villagers have been rescued _ including 600 on Thursday _ since Typhoon Morakot dumped more than 80 inches (2 meters) of rain this past weekend, the island's disaster relief center said. The storm unleashed the worst floods the island has seen in 50 years. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
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By PETER ENAV
The Associated Press
Thursday, August 13, 2009; 4:08 PM
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SINFA, Taiwan -- Barefoot and helmeted, the frightened survivors of deadly Typhoon Morakot dangled high over jagged rocks and a raging river Thursday as soldiers hauled them to safety one by one along a 100-foot-long cable.
On the far side, a few dozen waited near a hand-painted sign on the craggy foundation of a destroyed bridge: "32 people died here SOS."
The perilous rescue was part of a massive military effort to save hundreds of stranded villagers after the worst flooding to hit Taiwan in 50 years. Some 14,000 villager have been rescued since the typhoon struck five days ago; hundreds more are feared missing or dead.
As criticism mounted Thursday over Taiwan's response to the disaster, the government dispatched another 4,000 troops to work with the 14,000 already deployed. Many of them are working in Kaohsiung County, a mountainous farming region in southern Taiwan.
The rugged terrain and widespread devastation played havoc with rescue efforts following the storm, which dumped 80 inches (2 meters) of rain on the island over the weekend.
Soldiers in fatigues and heavy gloves resorted to using a makeshift zipline to haul survivors from the village of Sinkai over the Ba Si Lan River where the bridge was wiped out. For hours they labored, rescuing everyone from a young boy in shorts to an elderly woman who brought along a couple of shopping bags worth of belongings.
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Unbuckled from their harnesses, villagers looked dazed and frightened as they recalled the harrowing night of Aug. 8.
"It rained for days," said Li Wen-chuan, a grizzled-looking man of 68 with sparse salt-and-pepper hair, teeth stained red by years of betel nut chewing. "But the flood came so suddenly and with a tremendous roar. It destroyed everything in the village."
"This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me," he said, adding that many of the 32 who died in village were friends and family. "My life will never be the same."
Pan Yi-chang, a 32-year-old mother of two, said that when the rains spawned by Morakot began to fall, she had no inkling that this typhoon would be any different from others.
The ravaged villages - most of them scattered in neighboring townships in northern Kaohsiung County - are typically located next to mountains, and they usually have to brace for mudslides during Taiwan's annual typhoon season during June to September.
But this time was different, residents said.
"Everything happened so fast. Flooding just destroyed everything," said Pan, adding that she was lucky because all of her family survived - her husband, her two children and her mother and father.
As she spoke, Pan gazed longingly across the river toward the only home she has ever known, a close-knit community of 1,000 whose economy is based on growing mangos and guavas.
In the background, a heavy mist enveloped the summit of a nearby mountain and torrents of water cascaded down its dark green facades.
Scores of villages in the rural south of Taiwan were devastated by the typhoon. One of the worst affected is Shiao Lin, where hundreds remain missing after a catastrophic mudslide spawned by days of torrential rain.
Taiwan's official death toll from the storm now stands at 108, with another 62 listed as missing. That does not include the toll in Shiao Lin and other remote communities.
Many of those rescued say they can never return to their villages because there is nothing left to return to.
Li, the grizzled veteran of Sinkai, is not one of them.
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"I am going back," he said. "Sinkai is where my roots are. I have no other place to go."
Many complained that the government was too slow to mobilize the rescue and cleanup effort, saying more victims could have been saved if they had moved sooner and faster.
"Why does the government say only useless things?" a woman eager to learn the fate of relatives trapped in Kaochung village in the south asked. With tears filling her eyes, she told TV reporters: "I've been waiting for several days, yet there has not been anyone going to rescue my family."
In a short interview with CNN, President Ma Ying-jeou blamed the severe damage brought by the flooding on villagers' inability to get out of their communities before the storm.
Authorities in Kaohsiung County did ask inhabitants from the villages most severely battered by Morakot to leave before the storm, but they did not try to forcibly remove the residents, and some villagers decided against leaving.
"They were not fully prepared. If they were, they should have been evacuated much earlier," Ma said. "They didn't realize how serious the disaster was."
Ma did not comment on whether the government was doing enough to help with the evacuation.
Troops were working Thursday to restore severed roads, rehabilitate ravaged neighborhood and ferry typhoon victims to safety in dozens of helicopter missions.
So far some 14,000 villagers have been rescued - including 600 on Thursday, the island's disaster relief center said.
Another 2,000 villagers were staying either in open fields or on higher ground and waiting to be taken to shelters, it said. Several hundred more - no one is sure how many - remain unaccounted for and are feared lost in the mudslides.
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Title: Taiwan typhoon toll could triple as entire village lies buried
Source: CNN, by SHIAO LIN, 2009/08/14
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/14/typhoon.wrap/index.html?iref=newssearch
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SHIAO LIN, Taiwan (CNN) -- The number of people killed in Taiwan by Typhoon Morakot, a destructive storm that swept through East Asia last week, could triple because hundreds of people are feared trapped under mudslides, the president's office said Friday.
Luo Shou Luan (left) is comforted as she looks at what is left of her home village, Shiao Lin.
The typhoon rains flooded the river next to Chen's home.
The official toll from the typhoon was 118 but could jump to more than 300, with as many as 200 feared buried under five stories of mud in the badly-hit village of Shiao Lin, presidential spokesman Wang Yuchi said.
Rescuers were on Friday trying to determine if the mud was stable enough to bring in excavators to begin searching for bodies.
Since the typhoon made landfall over the weekend, more than 31,000 people have been pulled from villages inundated by mudslides and floodwaters, according to official government figures.
But in remote mountainous areas of Kaohsiung County, where Shiao Lin is located, rescue efforts have been hampered by torrential downpours, dense fog, rugged terrain and raging rivers.
Washed out roads and bridges rendered ground rescue operations virtually impossible in the central and southern regions of the island, the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission said. █ Video Watch challenges facing rescuers »
Typhoon Morakot dropped about three meters (118 inches) of rain on southern and central parts of this island last week.
After hitting Taiwan, it roared on to mainland China, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
The typhoon has prompted and international aid effort, with more than 30 countries offering money, helicopters, medication or other supplies.
Officials from Hong Kong said they would recommend sending H.K. $50 million (U.S. $6.45 million) in aid. The aid request needed to get final authorization.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying toured the Jiadong and Linbian townships in Pingtung County Thursday, then visited Kaohsiung County, where a wall of mud had cut off Shiao Lin.
Survivor Chen Chiu Lian, 76, told how she and her grandson swam for their lives when the storm hit Shiao Lin, destroying all but their home.
She said: "I had just finished eating. My grandson was taking a nap. It rained and rained. There was water to my left and to my right ... The next day, it was still raining.
"Our house was like a boat. The water was like an ocean. How can you escape? There was no way to escape.
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"My grandson told me to swim. I was swimming and crawling through the water and debris." Video Watch her story of survival »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Meanwhile, nearly 1,700 people were rescued Thursday from areas devastated by the storm, and a government spokeswoman said she believed "the situation is getting better." Video Watch a grandmother and children being pulled to safety by basic means »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Rescuers have been able to save nearly 15,700 people. But in remote places like Shiao Lin, rescues have proven difficult. A government list shows 43 people were rescued from the Shiao Lin, and there could have been as many as 300 people in the village when the storm hit.
On Friday, the area was eerily quiet. On the way to Shiao Lin, a woman could be heard asking: "Have you seen my father?"
As for Chen, her injuries are relatively minor. Her legs are covered in scratches and bruises from her escape.
"My grandson and I got to the roof of our house. He prayed to his grandfather (who died last year). He prayed out loud, 'Agong (Grandpa), please help us. We're going to be washed away in this flood.'
"My grandson was crying. He tried to comfort me and said a helicopter would come.
"Then we saw a helicopter and my grandson shouted to it. The helicopter lifted us up, and the pilot said we were very lucky because originally, he didn't see us. He just saw the house."
The two survivors have now found refuge at a friend's home.
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Chen added: "This is the worst disaster I've seen in my 76 years. My whole life has basically been smooth.
"At the time, I just thought, 'I'll leave it to the heavens.' If there hadn't been a helicopter, I wouldn't be sitting here today."
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Title: Countries pledge aid to Taiwan
Source: CNN 2009/08/14
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/weather/08/13/taiwan.typhoon/index.html
Story Highlights
# NEW: Death toll rises
# NEW: Hong Kong officials say they will recommending sending US$6.45M (HK$50M)
# More than 30 countries offer money, helicopters, medication, other supplies
# Official: Nearly 15,700 people pulled from flooded villages
(CNN) -- More countries pledged aid to Taiwan on Friday, days after Typhoon Morakot battered the island and left dozens of villages deluged with floodwaters, killing 116 people.
This image from an ireporter emphasizes the damage inflicted by Typhoon Morakot.
Residents look at debris from a mudslide in Taishun, in eastern China, on Tuesday.
A rescue worker carries a child Tuesday who survived flooding in southern Taiwan.
Officials from Hong Kong said they would recommend sending HK$50 million (US$6.45 million) in aid. The aid request needed to get final authorization. Once that happens Hong Kong will join a growing group of countries and territories that have rushed to help typhoon-battered Taiwan.
More than 30 countries have offered money, helicopters, medication or other supplies.
"They have presented the goodwill to help," said Benjamin Chi, a government spokesman.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou toured the Jiadong and Linbian townships in Pingtung County Thursday, then visited Kaohsiung County, where a wall of mud had cut off the village of Shiaolin. Video Watch why public anger's building »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Meanwhile, nearly 1,700 people were rescued from areas devastated by the storm, and a government spokeswoman said she believed "the situation is getting better."
Janet Chang said 1,692 people were rescued Thursday, mostly from the two mountainous counties that bore the brunt of the storm -- Kaohsiung and Pingtung.
However, a funeral director in coastal Kaohsiung County, where a makeshift morgue was set up, told CNN that about 200 bodies had arrived there -- many from neighboring villages. Relief workers cleaned and photographed the bodies, preparing them for identification by loved ones.
Chang said that based on official figures, 45 people were injured in the storm and 59 remain missing. She could not say how many more people needed to be rescued. Watch a grandmother describe her escape »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Since the typhoon made landfall over the weekend, nearly 15,700 people have been rescued from villages hit by mudslides and floodwaters, according to official government figures.
Most of the missing were in Kaohsiung County, the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission reported. Video Watch a makeshift morgue and funeral »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Torrential downpours, dense fog, rugged terrain and raging rivers have made rescues difficult. Washed out roads and bridges rendered ground rescue operations virtually impossible in the central and southern regions of the island. Rescuers were forced to search by helicopter, inflatable boats and zip-line mechanisms that suspended them over the muddy waters raging below.
In some cases food drops have been conducted over isolated villages tucked amid the rugged terrain, as villagers sought higher ground to stay dry.
The Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan said that over a one-day period after the typhoon hit, Pingtung County received a record 55 inches of rain (1,403 mm). Elsewhere on the island, rainfall amounts were as high as 83 inches (2,108 mm).
Seattle, Washington, one of the wettest U.S. cities, has an average annual rainfall of 37 inches per year (940 mm).
The storm primarily targeted southern Taiwan.
Isolated scattered showers and thunderstorms were forecast for Taiwan overnight Thursday into Friday, mostly in the north, where the capital is located, said CNN International meteorologist Brandon Miller.
"As a whole, the weather actually is pretty good," he said. It was 90 degrees (31C) late Thursday. Miller said Taipei had had "significant rainfall" of 5 or 6 inches (150 mm) over the past two days.
The Red Cross is helping the government dispense food, water and other necessities from a central command center, where helicopters pick up the supplies for their humanitarian missions, said organization spokesman Christian Li on Wednesday.
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Economic losses due to Morakot have been estimated at U.S. $274 million.
After hitting Taiwan, Morakot roared on to mainland China on Sunday, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
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To be continued.
Source: Al Jaseera English 2009/08/14
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/08/20098149414289785.html
Taiwan toll set 'to rise sharply'
Roads damaged by the storm have hampered rescue and relief efforts in the worst-hit areas [Reuters]
Taiwan's president has said the death toll from the floods triggered by Typhoon Morakot could top 500 people.
The announcement came as rescuers struggled to rescue thousands more trapped in mountain villages.
Ma Ying-jeou said on Friday that he expects the islandwide toll to rise sharply in the coming days.
"With 117 confirmed deaths from the typhoon and some 380 people feared buried by mudslides in Hsiaolin village, Taiwan's death toll could rise to more than 500," he told a national security meeting.
Ma said the whole nation would mobilise to help the victims, saying: "The government will overcome all obstacles to accomplish the mission."
For his part, Liu Chao-shiuan, the prime minister, said flood-related losses were estimated to be around $3.4bn although he did not specify the type.
More than 50,000 soldiers deployed to remote areas continue to battle raging rivers and fallen bridges to reach victims trapped in southern and central Taiwan.
Waiting for rescue
Local media is reporting that dozens of communities in southern Taiwan cut off by the storm are still waiting for rescue, nearly a week after the deluge.
Relief workers in the south of Taiwan have struggled to reach many areas, where roads have been cut by landslides and bridges washed away.
Authorities earlier said the official death toll from the storm had risen to 116. But government officials said the figure did not include an estimated 300 people believed to have been buried in a mudslide in Hsiao Lin, one of the worst-hit mountain villages.
In depth
Typhoons: Asia's mega-storms
In pictures: Morakot's destructive path
In video:
Mudslide buries Taiwan town
Thousands missing in Taiwan typhoon
Typhoon Morakot hits southern China
Typhoons: Asia's mega-storms
In pictures: Morakot's destructive path
In video:
Mudslide buries Taiwan town
Thousands missing in Taiwan typhoon
Typhoon Morakot hits southern China
"The county magistrate gave the premier a report that in his judgment about 300 were dead," the Reuters news agency reported, quoting the head of Taiwan's government information office.
"These are the conditions now. Specific numbers will depend on the army opening the road and sending people in," the official said, in reference to Hsiao Lin.
Stephen Chen, the secretary-general of the Taiwan Red Cross Society, said rescue teams are searching for survivors in Hsiao Lin.
But he told Al Jazeera that heavy rains were hampering search efforts, even though they have eased in some parts of the island.
"If the weather gets better, then we can have more rescue teams going to the village," he told Al Jazeera on Friday.
In addition, Chen said, rescue teams need better resources, including newer helicopters, to tackle the recovery operation.
"Some of our helicopters are too old for these rescue needs. This kind of helicopter is more than 30 years old, and is not good enough. So we would like to have better helicopters."
Pressure mounting
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on the government to speed up rescue and recovery efforts.
Many survivors from the hardest hit areas have said more lives could have been saved if authorities had acted more quickly.
At one rescue centre tempers flared as relatives desperate for news of missing loved-ones fought with police and soldiers as they tried to storm their way on to helicopters heading to the disaster zone.
Taiwan has issued an appeal for international help as it steps up rescue efforts [AFP]
Newspaper editorials in Taiwan have also criticised the official response to the disaster - saying Ma was too slow to send in troops to help.
But the government has said it is ready to put more money into the rescue efforts and already has plans for rebuilding communities devastated in the storm.
Al Jazeera's Steve Chao, reporting from Kaohsiung county - one the hardest-hit regions - said it is difficult to gauge how accurate the criticism has been.
"We saw a huge presence of rescue workers and aid organisations and we saw a lot of the military soldiers working very hard ..., so it is difficult to get a true picture of how well or how poorly co-ordinated the relief effort has been," he said.
"We are aware of at least two communities that were not so much ignored, but did not receive aid fast enough.
"Some of the survivors were forced to live on water that they could find for themselves before aid arrived.
"So there is criticism. How real or true this is is still difficult to say. We will get a clear picture of that in the coming days."
The government issued an appeal on Thursday for international help, including heavy-lift helicopters, as part of efforts to locate and rescue the thousands of people still missing or stranded across the island.
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Title: Taiwanese hauled to safety across raging river
Source: Washington Post/ By PETER ENAV, The Associated Press, Thursday, August 13, 2009; 4:08 PM
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/13/AR2009081300247.html
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A volunteer carries a rescued infant trapped by Typhoon Morakot by helicopter to an emergency landing zone in Cishan, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Taiwan's military continued to airlift survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, as it announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Taiwan military and volunteers bring rescued elderly and children trapped by Typhoon Morakot by helicopter to an emergency landing zone in Cishan, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Taiwan's military continued to airlift survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, as it announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Relatives of victims wait patiently for Taiwan military bringing rescued residents trapped by Typhoon Morakot to an emergency landing zone in Cishan, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Taiwan's military continued to airlift survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, as it announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Taiwan military and Red Cross volunteers bring rescued boys trapped by Typhoon Morakot to an emergency landing zone in Cishan, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Taiwan's military continued to airlift survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, as it announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
In this image released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers and rescuers help victims evacuate flooded village Laiji, following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers and survivors unload provisions for victims of Typhoon Morakot in Laiji valley, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. The typhoon caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers remove mud following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
A victim stands in front of a destroyed house in the flooded village of Liugui following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo)
In this image released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers help victims evacuate the flooded village of Laiji, following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
A rescuer glides on a rope into river to reach the flooded village of Liugui following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo)
In this image released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, members of the Aboriginal community thanks as a military helicopter arrives to bring relief supplies and to move victims out of the area after the village was damaged by Typhoon Morakot in Laiji Village, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Military News Agency, soldiers disinfect following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Jiayi County, central Taiwan. Typhoon Morakot caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years as it pummeled the island Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Taiwan Military News Agency)
Taiwan military soldiers rescue a villager on an emergency cable sling strung across the Ba Si Lan river in Sinfa, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, five days after flash flooding from Typhoon Morakot took the lives of 32 fellow villagers. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Taiwanese rescuers hold babies before crossing the river to evacuate the flooded village of Liugui following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. Some 14,000 villagers have been rescued _ including 600 on Thursday _ since Typhoon Morakot dumped more than 80 inches (2 meters) of rain this past weekend, the island's disaster relief center said. The storm unleashed the worst floods the island has seen in 50 years. (AP Photo)
Taiwan military rescue villagers on an emergency cable sling strung across the Ba Si Lan river in Sinfa, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Taiwan military rescue villagers on an emergency cable sling strung across the Ba Si Lan river in Sinfa, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, five days after flash flooding from Typhoon Morakot took the lives of 32 fellow villagers. The sign reads 32 dead in their village from Typhoon Morakot's flooding. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) (Wally Santana - AP)
Taiwan military rescue villagers on an emergency cable sling strung across the Ba Si Lan river in Sinfa, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, five days after flash flooding from Typhoon Morakot took the lives of 32 fellow villagers. Hundreds of villagers fled their homes minutes before a flood-created lake burst Thursday, as the Taiwanese military deployed thousands more troops to rescue and deliver supplies to survivors from remote villages devastated during last weekend's typhoon. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) (Wally Santana - AP)
A Taiwanese woman prays for victims during a donation ceremony following Typhoon Morakot, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, in Taipei, Taiwan. Some 14,000 villagers have been rescued _ including 600 on Thursday _ since Typhoon Morakot dumped more than 80 inches (2 meters) of rain this past weekend, the island's disaster relief center said. The storm unleashed the worst floods the island has seen in 50 years. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
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By PETER ENAV
The Associated Press
Thursday, August 13, 2009; 4:08 PM
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SINFA, Taiwan -- Barefoot and helmeted, the frightened survivors of deadly Typhoon Morakot dangled high over jagged rocks and a raging river Thursday as soldiers hauled them to safety one by one along a 100-foot-long cable.
On the far side, a few dozen waited near a hand-painted sign on the craggy foundation of a destroyed bridge: "32 people died here SOS."
The perilous rescue was part of a massive military effort to save hundreds of stranded villagers after the worst flooding to hit Taiwan in 50 years. Some 14,000 villager have been rescued since the typhoon struck five days ago; hundreds more are feared missing or dead.
As criticism mounted Thursday over Taiwan's response to the disaster, the government dispatched another 4,000 troops to work with the 14,000 already deployed. Many of them are working in Kaohsiung County, a mountainous farming region in southern Taiwan.
The rugged terrain and widespread devastation played havoc with rescue efforts following the storm, which dumped 80 inches (2 meters) of rain on the island over the weekend.
Soldiers in fatigues and heavy gloves resorted to using a makeshift zipline to haul survivors from the village of Sinkai over the Ba Si Lan River where the bridge was wiped out. For hours they labored, rescuing everyone from a young boy in shorts to an elderly woman who brought along a couple of shopping bags worth of belongings.
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Unbuckled from their harnesses, villagers looked dazed and frightened as they recalled the harrowing night of Aug. 8.
"It rained for days," said Li Wen-chuan, a grizzled-looking man of 68 with sparse salt-and-pepper hair, teeth stained red by years of betel nut chewing. "But the flood came so suddenly and with a tremendous roar. It destroyed everything in the village."
"This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me," he said, adding that many of the 32 who died in village were friends and family. "My life will never be the same."
Pan Yi-chang, a 32-year-old mother of two, said that when the rains spawned by Morakot began to fall, she had no inkling that this typhoon would be any different from others.
The ravaged villages - most of them scattered in neighboring townships in northern Kaohsiung County - are typically located next to mountains, and they usually have to brace for mudslides during Taiwan's annual typhoon season during June to September.
But this time was different, residents said.
"Everything happened so fast. Flooding just destroyed everything," said Pan, adding that she was lucky because all of her family survived - her husband, her two children and her mother and father.
As she spoke, Pan gazed longingly across the river toward the only home she has ever known, a close-knit community of 1,000 whose economy is based on growing mangos and guavas.
In the background, a heavy mist enveloped the summit of a nearby mountain and torrents of water cascaded down its dark green facades.
Scores of villages in the rural south of Taiwan were devastated by the typhoon. One of the worst affected is Shiao Lin, where hundreds remain missing after a catastrophic mudslide spawned by days of torrential rain.
Taiwan's official death toll from the storm now stands at 108, with another 62 listed as missing. That does not include the toll in Shiao Lin and other remote communities.
Many of those rescued say they can never return to their villages because there is nothing left to return to.
Li, the grizzled veteran of Sinkai, is not one of them.
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"I am going back," he said. "Sinkai is where my roots are. I have no other place to go."
Many complained that the government was too slow to mobilize the rescue and cleanup effort, saying more victims could have been saved if they had moved sooner and faster.
"Why does the government say only useless things?" a woman eager to learn the fate of relatives trapped in Kaochung village in the south asked. With tears filling her eyes, she told TV reporters: "I've been waiting for several days, yet there has not been anyone going to rescue my family."
In a short interview with CNN, President Ma Ying-jeou blamed the severe damage brought by the flooding on villagers' inability to get out of their communities before the storm.
Authorities in Kaohsiung County did ask inhabitants from the villages most severely battered by Morakot to leave before the storm, but they did not try to forcibly remove the residents, and some villagers decided against leaving.
"They were not fully prepared. If they were, they should have been evacuated much earlier," Ma said. "They didn't realize how serious the disaster was."
Ma did not comment on whether the government was doing enough to help with the evacuation.
Troops were working Thursday to restore severed roads, rehabilitate ravaged neighborhood and ferry typhoon victims to safety in dozens of helicopter missions.
So far some 14,000 villagers have been rescued - including 600 on Thursday, the island's disaster relief center said.
Another 2,000 villagers were staying either in open fields or on higher ground and waiting to be taken to shelters, it said. Several hundred more - no one is sure how many - remain unaccounted for and are feared lost in the mudslides.
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Title: Taiwan typhoon toll could triple as entire village lies buried
Source: CNN, by SHIAO LIN, 2009/08/14
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/14/typhoon.wrap/index.html?iref=newssearch
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SHIAO LIN, Taiwan (CNN) -- The number of people killed in Taiwan by Typhoon Morakot, a destructive storm that swept through East Asia last week, could triple because hundreds of people are feared trapped under mudslides, the president's office said Friday.
Luo Shou Luan (left) is comforted as she looks at what is left of her home village, Shiao Lin.
The typhoon rains flooded the river next to Chen's home.
The official toll from the typhoon was 118 but could jump to more than 300, with as many as 200 feared buried under five stories of mud in the badly-hit village of Shiao Lin, presidential spokesman Wang Yuchi said.
Rescuers were on Friday trying to determine if the mud was stable enough to bring in excavators to begin searching for bodies.
Since the typhoon made landfall over the weekend, more than 31,000 people have been pulled from villages inundated by mudslides and floodwaters, according to official government figures.
But in remote mountainous areas of Kaohsiung County, where Shiao Lin is located, rescue efforts have been hampered by torrential downpours, dense fog, rugged terrain and raging rivers.
Washed out roads and bridges rendered ground rescue operations virtually impossible in the central and southern regions of the island, the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission said. █ Video Watch challenges facing rescuers »
Typhoon Morakot dropped about three meters (118 inches) of rain on southern and central parts of this island last week.
After hitting Taiwan, it roared on to mainland China, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
The typhoon has prompted and international aid effort, with more than 30 countries offering money, helicopters, medication or other supplies.
Officials from Hong Kong said they would recommend sending H.K. $50 million (U.S. $6.45 million) in aid. The aid request needed to get final authorization.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying toured the Jiadong and Linbian townships in Pingtung County Thursday, then visited Kaohsiung County, where a wall of mud had cut off Shiao Lin.
Survivor Chen Chiu Lian, 76, told how she and her grandson swam for their lives when the storm hit Shiao Lin, destroying all but their home.
She said: "I had just finished eating. My grandson was taking a nap. It rained and rained. There was water to my left and to my right ... The next day, it was still raining.
"Our house was like a boat. The water was like an ocean. How can you escape? There was no way to escape.
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"My grandson told me to swim. I was swimming and crawling through the water and debris." Video Watch her story of survival »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Meanwhile, nearly 1,700 people were rescued Thursday from areas devastated by the storm, and a government spokeswoman said she believed "the situation is getting better." Video Watch a grandmother and children being pulled to safety by basic means »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Rescuers have been able to save nearly 15,700 people. But in remote places like Shiao Lin, rescues have proven difficult. A government list shows 43 people were rescued from the Shiao Lin, and there could have been as many as 300 people in the village when the storm hit.
On Friday, the area was eerily quiet. On the way to Shiao Lin, a woman could be heard asking: "Have you seen my father?"
As for Chen, her injuries are relatively minor. Her legs are covered in scratches and bruises from her escape.
"My grandson and I got to the roof of our house. He prayed to his grandfather (who died last year). He prayed out loud, 'Agong (Grandpa), please help us. We're going to be washed away in this flood.'
"My grandson was crying. He tried to comfort me and said a helicopter would come.
"Then we saw a helicopter and my grandson shouted to it. The helicopter lifted us up, and the pilot said we were very lucky because originally, he didn't see us. He just saw the house."
The two survivors have now found refuge at a friend's home.
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Chen added: "This is the worst disaster I've seen in my 76 years. My whole life has basically been smooth.
"At the time, I just thought, 'I'll leave it to the heavens.' If there hadn't been a helicopter, I wouldn't be sitting here today."
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Title: Countries pledge aid to Taiwan
Source: CNN 2009/08/14
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/weather/08/13/taiwan.typhoon/index.html
Story Highlights
# NEW: Death toll rises
# NEW: Hong Kong officials say they will recommending sending US$6.45M (HK$50M)
# More than 30 countries offer money, helicopters, medication, other supplies
# Official: Nearly 15,700 people pulled from flooded villages
(CNN) -- More countries pledged aid to Taiwan on Friday, days after Typhoon Morakot battered the island and left dozens of villages deluged with floodwaters, killing 116 people.
This image from an ireporter emphasizes the damage inflicted by Typhoon Morakot.
Residents look at debris from a mudslide in Taishun, in eastern China, on Tuesday.
A rescue worker carries a child Tuesday who survived flooding in southern Taiwan.
Officials from Hong Kong said they would recommend sending HK$50 million (US$6.45 million) in aid. The aid request needed to get final authorization. Once that happens Hong Kong will join a growing group of countries and territories that have rushed to help typhoon-battered Taiwan.
More than 30 countries have offered money, helicopters, medication or other supplies.
"They have presented the goodwill to help," said Benjamin Chi, a government spokesman.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou toured the Jiadong and Linbian townships in Pingtung County Thursday, then visited Kaohsiung County, where a wall of mud had cut off the village of Shiaolin. Video Watch why public anger's building »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Meanwhile, nearly 1,700 people were rescued from areas devastated by the storm, and a government spokeswoman said she believed "the situation is getting better."
Janet Chang said 1,692 people were rescued Thursday, mostly from the two mountainous counties that bore the brunt of the storm -- Kaohsiung and Pingtung.
However, a funeral director in coastal Kaohsiung County, where a makeshift morgue was set up, told CNN that about 200 bodies had arrived there -- many from neighboring villages. Relief workers cleaned and photographed the bodies, preparing them for identification by loved ones.
Chang said that based on official figures, 45 people were injured in the storm and 59 remain missing. She could not say how many more people needed to be rescued. Watch a grandmother describe her escape »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Since the typhoon made landfall over the weekend, nearly 15,700 people have been rescued from villages hit by mudslides and floodwaters, according to official government figures.
Most of the missing were in Kaohsiung County, the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission reported. Video Watch a makeshift morgue and funeral »
Embedded video from CNN Video
Torrential downpours, dense fog, rugged terrain and raging rivers have made rescues difficult. Washed out roads and bridges rendered ground rescue operations virtually impossible in the central and southern regions of the island. Rescuers were forced to search by helicopter, inflatable boats and zip-line mechanisms that suspended them over the muddy waters raging below.
In some cases food drops have been conducted over isolated villages tucked amid the rugged terrain, as villagers sought higher ground to stay dry.
The Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan said that over a one-day period after the typhoon hit, Pingtung County received a record 55 inches of rain (1,403 mm). Elsewhere on the island, rainfall amounts were as high as 83 inches (2,108 mm).
Seattle, Washington, one of the wettest U.S. cities, has an average annual rainfall of 37 inches per year (940 mm).
The storm primarily targeted southern Taiwan.
Isolated scattered showers and thunderstorms were forecast for Taiwan overnight Thursday into Friday, mostly in the north, where the capital is located, said CNN International meteorologist Brandon Miller.
"As a whole, the weather actually is pretty good," he said. It was 90 degrees (31C) late Thursday. Miller said Taipei had had "significant rainfall" of 5 or 6 inches (150 mm) over the past two days.
The Red Cross is helping the government dispense food, water and other necessities from a central command center, where helicopters pick up the supplies for their humanitarian missions, said organization spokesman Christian Li on Wednesday.
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Economic losses due to Morakot have been estimated at U.S. $274 million.
After hitting Taiwan, Morakot roared on to mainland China on Sunday, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
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To be continued.
Edited 16 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2009 08:50PM by gustav.
(編輯記錄)