With the radius of Tropical Storm Kong-Rey covering all of Taiwan, central and local governments continue to be on alert, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said at the Cabinet's weekly meeting this morning. He asked officials and emergency response personnel to remain vigilant as central and southern mountains could still receive significant amounts of rain.
The storm brought torrential rainfall to central and southern Taiwan after 3 a.m. today, pouring more than 300 millimeters in some areas in just four hours and triggering floods and power outages across Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi. The premier asked the Central Emergency Operations Center keep local authorities abreast of the latest developments, instructing the Ministry of National Defense and other central government agencies to actively offer assistance wherever needed.
So far this year, Taiwan has been hit by typhoons Soulik, Cimaron, Trami and now Kong-Rey, each one bringing more landslides and erosion to disaster-prone locations. After Trami passed on August 22, the premier visited Hsinchu County to survey the damage and hear from local officials there. Jiang said roadbeds in the area are severely eroded and asked central government agencies to set aside generous budgets to help remediate roadways in these vulnerable spots.
Post-disaster remediation work should be addressed in a comprehensive manner—that is, problems with roads and rivers must be addressed at the up-, mid- and downstream levels, Jiang said. Minister without Portfolio Yang Chiu-hsing has been asked to help in this regard. As for the disaster-prone locations, efforts must be made to control the flow of water, especially at rural rivers and streams. Jiang hopes the Council of Indigenous Peoples will support these efforts and that remediation funds are not duplicated.
Finally, the premier said, before warnings for Kong-Rey are lifted, disaster management agencies must stay on top of the situation and be ready to respond at any time.