TAIPEI – As the typhoon moved away from Taiwan, access to water supplies was gradually restored.
Taiwan began to collect itself on Wednesday following a fierce battering from Typhoon Megi, which caused the second-largest power outage on Taiwan record.
According to the Central Emergency Operation Center, as of 8 am Wednesday, Megi had resulted in four deaths and 527 injured island-wide.
Electricity in 1.3 million households across Taiwan had yet to be restored as of 9 am Wednesday, the Ministry of Economic Affairs reported.
Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) representatives said electricity would be restored to most affected homes by Thursday night.
However, mountainous areas in New Taipei, Yunlin, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Kinmen will not see complete restoration until Friday night.
Power outages, which affected the second highest number of households in Taiwan’s history, were concentrated in Taichung (237,000), Kaohsiung (150,000), Changhua (110,000) and Yunlin (103,000), where restoration efforts were still underway, according to a Taipower statement.
As of press time, at least 50,000 units in Tainan were still without power.
During an inspection of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, President Tsai Ing-wen said she was pleased to see that operations at the airport were going smoothly. Earlier this year, the airport saw severe flooding, leading to widespread flight cancellations.
Tsai’s inspection of the airport saw a minor disruption when one Chinese tourist shouted a call for “peaceful unification.” Tsai did not respond.
Over a thousand technicians were deployed to repair telecommunications equipment nationwide, with major providers Chunghwa Telecom, FarEasTone and TStar promising to restore telecommunications services by the end of the month.
Water Access Mostly Restored
As the typhoon moved away from Taiwan, access to water supplies was gradually restored. At the height of Megi’s impact, at least 72,560 households nationwide were cut off from water access.
Only 250 households in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District and 1,850 units in Kaohsiung were still without power on Wednesday afternoon, according to Taiwan Water Corporation.
The state-owned business also reassured the public that water was safe for consumption.
The Soil and Water Conversation Bureau under the Council of Agriculture issued red landslide warnings for four counties and cities, 12 townships and 59 rivers nationwide. Yellow warnings were issued for six counties and cities, 22 townships and 207 rivers.
Southern Taiwan Hit with Flooding
Despite Megi’s dwindling impact, the Central Weather Bureau cautioned that south, central and east Taiwan could still see torrential rainfall and flooding.
Almost 4,000 household units in Tainan City were flooded as Megi barrelled through the island on Tuesday. A canal in Tainan also overflowed, flooding nearby districts, local media reported.
Districts in Kaohsiung City also reported flooding and some areas in Chiayi saw floods that reached peoples’ knees.
Cancellation Confusion
Kuomintang-led local governments, which originally announced that classes and work would resume as usual Wednesday, overturned that decision late in the night, creating widespread confusion about cancellations.
Residents in some areas, especially mountainous areas that were still affected by power outages, did not receive the announcement that classes and work would be cancelled on Wednesday.
Over 800 schools nationwide have sustained damage amounting to 160 new Taiwan dollars million ($5 million), the Education Ministry reported.
