Legislature approves typhoon, heavy rain aid package

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's Legislative Yuan on Friday approved an aid and recovery package that allows the government to allocate up to NT$60 billion for regions adversely affected by Typhoon Danas and subsequent torrential rains in July.

The special act, proposed by the Cabinet on Aug. 7, was quickly approved by the Legislature a day after ruling and opposition party lawmakers held inter-party negotiations on providing relief to disaster-hit areas and expanding funding.

The legislation passed Friday allows the government to use up to NT$60 billion (US$1.99 billion), instead of the previously proposed NT$56 billion, to repair and rebuild infrastructure, electricity systems, telecommunications and cable TV networks, cultural heritage sites, and other public facilities.

Among the areas covered by the plan are Miaoli County and regions south of Miaoli in western Taiwan and Hualien and Taitung counties in eastern Taiwan.

The legislation also enables the government to provide support for private sector recovery -- including the agriculture, fishery, tourism and cultural industries -- and to households that suffered financial losses through subsidies, compensation and other relief measures.

The Legislature also adopted a resolution providing cash handouts of NT$20,000 to households exposed to floodwaters higher than 50 centimeters, in addition to existing relief payouts, and NT$30,000 for low-income or lower-middle households in the same situation.

The act will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2026, with certain infrastructure projects allowed to continue until the end of 2027.

Now that the special act has been passed, the Cabinet will need to submit a separate appropriation bill to access the funding.

In a social media post later Friday, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) thanked the Legislature for setting aside partisan differences and approving the aid package.

The recent inclement weather claimed two lives and injured more than 700 across Taiwan, with thousands of others forced to evacuate.

More than one million households experienced power outages, while 70,000 were cut off from water lines, according to government data.

In southern Taiwan, where agriculture and aquaculture are among the main economic activities, those working in the two fields sustained an estimated NT$3.28 billion in losses, the data shows.