Residents in Guangfu, a town in eastern Taiwan, sought shelter again on Wednesday as new flood warnings followed the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Ragasa. The storm, which has already killed 14 people, caused significant damage and left at least 129 people missing.
Typhoons are common in Taiwan, and the island usually has effective disaster protocols in place to evacuate people from danger zones quickly. However, many in Guangfu reported insufficient warnings when a barrier lake overflowed due to heavy rainfall from the typhoon.
Premier Cho Jung-tai ordered an inquiry into the evacuation procedures, questioning why the evacuation orders were not executed effectively in the affected areas. He emphasized that the investigation was not to assign blame but to uncover the truth.
The typhoon’s intense rain caused the barrier lake, formed by previous landslides, to burst, sending a wall of water into the town. As the floodwaters continued, emergency services issued new warnings and evacuated locals to safer areas.
While authorities stated that the immediate risk of further flooding had decreased, some residents were still hesitant to return. One local woman explained that she would not return until the danger had passed.
Authorities in Taiwan’s Hualien region have dispatched rescue teams, including military personnel, to assist in the aftermath. Many residents, including those from the indigenous Amis group, were affected by the storm’s impact. The typhoon has since moved towards China’s southern coast, leaving behind widespread devastation in Taiwan.
The overflow of the barrier lake released approximately 60 million tonnes of water, highlighting the severity of the flooding. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office expressed condolences, a rare gesture of goodwill from Beijing amidst the ongoing tensions between the two regions.
