Typhoon Gaemi flooding victims to get cash handouts from government

Kaohsiung, July 26 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced Friday that households in areas where flooding exceeded 50 centimeters due to Typhoon Gaemi will each receive NT$20,000 in relief.

The NT$20,000 (US$605) cash payment will be given to households in areas around Taiwan where flooding exceeded 50 cm, Lai said after being briefed about the situation during an inspection of severely affected areas in Kaohsiung's Meinong District.

In areas with flooding below the 50 cm threshold, low- to middle-income households can each receive NT$10,000 in relief, Lai added. 

The president said the relief funds would be drawn from the central government's budget and he called for the Legislature's swift approval of this expenditure once it begins a new session in September.

In the meantime, Lai said the Ministry of Finance was mulling over tax relief for individuals and businesses in areas severely affected by Gaemi, which brought heavy rainfalls in central and southern Taiwan.

Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed that Duonalindao in Kaohsiung's Maolin District had received 1,835 millimeters of accumulated rain from Wednesday to Friday noon, followed by Chiayi County's Fenqihu village at 1,677.5 mm.

While the storm has already left the island of Taiwan, CWA on Friday issued extremely heavy rain or heavy rain advisories for 15 cities and counties, including Miaoli and Pingtung counties, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung cities, and mountainous areas in Nantou County.

In his remarks, Lai also commended the Kaohsiung City government's efforts to enhance the citywide flood control system, noting that while the accumulated rain in the city was comparable to that of Typhoon Morakot in 2009, the flooding was less severe.

Morakot brought catastrophic damage to Taiwan 15 years ago, leaving at least 681 killed and 18 missing, according to the Cabinet's report.

The president then promised more financial support for local governments to carry out river improvement plans and build water detention facilities, among other projects, to enhance the country's resilience to climate shocks.

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