US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI3076

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003076 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO AIT/W AND EAP/RSP/TC 
 
STATE PLEASE ALSO PASS TO USEPA/OIA 
 
FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT, SENV, ECON, KSCA, KPAO, TW, ESTH 
SUBJECT: TYPHOON HAITUNG CONTINUES TO POUND SOUTHERN TAIWAN 
 
TAIPEI 02641, 03073 
 
UNCLASSIFIED 
 
SIPDIS 
 
1. Summary.  While rains have abated in northern Taiwan, 
Typhoon Haitang and subsequent heavy rains are continuing to 
pound southern Taiwan.  In addition to the impacts reported 
in reftel b, the storm has caused extensive damage to roads 
and bridges, destroyed several homes and stranded residents 
and travelers in Kenting and Green Island.  Kaohsiung Harbor 
has experienced serious impact, with a stranded freighter 
outside the port and several containers washed overboard 
inside the port.  Damage estimates continue to rise, with 
current estimates in excess of US$ 80 million.  Rains are 
expected to continue unabated for the next thirty-six hours, 
preventing repair work on bridges and roads damaged by the 
storm.  End Summary 
 
2. Virtually all areas of southern Taiwan have received in 
excess of 1300 mm of rainfall, leading to large numbers of 
mudslides, flooding and destruction of homes.  More than 
twenty homes have been washed into local rivers in Taitung, 
Pingtung and Kaohsiung counties.  Relief work is limited to 
emergency measures only, with substantial repairs to begin 
when the storm abates. 
 
3. On-going rains continue to cause tremendous damage to the 
roadways and bridges in Southern Taiwan.  In Pingtung 
County, a 30 meter-long landslide damaged the Fengkung 
Bridge linking Pingtung and Hengchun Peninsula.  Four houses 
alongside the bridge and other businesses crashed into the 
river as a result of the landslide.  Local residents and 
businesses near the bridge and landslide were evacuated to 
elevated shelters.  With the bridge down and road travel 
impossible, more than 3000 tourists and 200,000 local 
residents are stranded in the Kenting area.  Efforts to move 
people by helicopter to Hengchun Airport and on to Taipei by 
commercial air have been hampered by continuing heavy 
thunderstorm activity. 
 
4. Fifteen bridges in Pingtung County were closed and nine 
townships were completely cut off.  Water supply to the 
southern part of Pingtung County was suspended when the 
water pipeline was damaged by mudslides. Officials are 
estimating a minimum of three days to effect temporary 
repairs once the rains stop.  In Kaohsiung County, more than 
thirty kilometers of route 24 have been inundated by 
landslides, making travel in the area virtually impossible. 
 
5. In Taitung County, sixteen houses in Chialan Village were 
washed into the river by the flood.  Four hundred local 
residents in Taimali and Tawu area were evacuated to a 
community center.  Taitung County Magistrate Hsu Ching-yuan 
gave relief funds to the villagers and said the county 
authorities would build temporary houses for the villagers 
once the water recedes.  Flights between Green Island, 
Orchid Island and Taiwan were canceled because of the bad 
weather.  1,582 tourists were stranded in Green Island.  The 
southern cross-island railroad transportation has been 
suspended.  At present, Taitung County can only be accessed 
via air transport from Taipei. 
 
6. The storm has caused substantial disruption to operations 
in Kaohsiung Harbor.  A gravel freighter sailing between 
Anping Harbor and Kaohsiung Harbor was stranded outside of 
Kaohsiung Harbor after losing power due to the bad weather. 
Eleven of twenty-two crewmen were rescued by helicopter. The 
Taiwan Coast Guard is continuing rescue operations for the 
remaining crew and is taking steps to prevent the ship from 
spilling fuel.  Twenty-three containers onboard a container 
ship at anchor in Kaohsiung Harbor were washed overboard by 
high waves.  The cargo from those containers is scattered 
around the Shiziwan Beach at the mouth of the harbor. 
 
7.  In earlier incidents, a local cargo vessel carrying sand 
and stone ran aground 500 feet off the Nanliao fishing 
harbor in Kaohsiung County, on July 18.  On the same day, a 
Korean oil tanker was stranded off the Chijin Island, the 
barrier island of Kaohsiung Harbor.  All crewmen of the 
local vessel were rescued, and the Korean oil tanker 
regained steerage and left the area.  Kaohsiung Harbor 
Authority has formed a special inter-agency task force to 
manage the crisis. 
 
8.  Despite the scale of the storm damage, local authorities 
have no reports of U.S. citizens in distress.  Contact with 
local wardens also indicates that no Amcits are known to 
have suffered serious loss or injury.  Travel throughout 
Southern Taiwan remains extremely hazardous.  While 
Kaohsiung City and Tainan City have largely removed downed 
trees and debris, traffic remains snarled by malfunctioning 
traffic lights, heavy rain and high water.  In the remainder 
of the district, travel in virtually impossible. 
 
Johnson 
 
Paal