KAOHSIUNG: Southern Taiwan worked on Friday (Oct 4) to clear up damage from flooding and high winds after Typhoon Krathon slammed into a major metropolis, while most of the rest of the island resumed work and financial markets re-opened.
Krathon, now downgraded to a tropical depression, made landfall in the major port city of Kaohsiung, inundating streets with water, blowing out windows in some buildings and sending debris flying as record-breaking winds hit.
While the rest of Taiwan resumed work on Friday, the governments in Kaohsiung and neighbouring Pingtung county declared another day off work to remove downed trees, pump out flood waters and remove detritus from roads.
Workers used cranes to remove downed trees and traffic signs in Kaohsiung, a city and surrounds of 2.7 million people, with some roads blocked and drivers and pedestrians diverted.
“Sandbags didn’t work. The wind pressed the water in anyway,” said Clark Huang, 49.
“Fortunately it lasted only a couple of hours and then we started cleaning up.”
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, writing on his Facebook page, said some parts of the city got more rain than during the last storm, Typhoon Gaemi, in July.
“Given the long duration of the storm, coupled with the strong winds and heavy rain, the city government is doing its best to repair the damage,” he wrote.
Tsai Ming-an, a 51-year-old engineer, was cleaning up his house after flooding of about 20cm came into his entire house on the ground floor.
“I have never seen winds like that. It was so bad,” Tsai said.
