Typhoon, Part 2

(The following information is copied with permission from a co-worker's blogsite.)

It has been over a week since the typhoon hit our island. The damage down south is incredible. Bridges, roads, railway lines, and an untold number of houses and other buildings have been destroyed. The president stated today that many displaced families will be in temporary housing for up to a year while homes are rebuilt. Some bridges and roads may take up to three years to rebuild.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from mountainous areas, in many cases pulled across raging rivers by cables and pulleys. There are still hundreds more awaiting rescue; many of them have been without clean water and food for days, and many are injured and still awaiting medical treatment. Rescuers are working non-stop in the attempt to reach the most isolated areas, but washed-out roads and bridges, dangerous rivers, poor weather conditions, and the risk of further landslides has hampered efforts.

A pilot carries a survivor to safety.

In the village of Shiao Lin, the help came too late. A massive mudslide wiped out the whole village of over 160 families, destroying all but two structures and burying the town and its inhabitants under up to 5 stories of mud. Only a handful of people survived; it is estimated that up to 500 people were buried alive in the landslide. Following local tradition, families honored the dead on the seventh day after death: surviving relatives gave gifts of food, paper money, and toys (for the children) to the dead, and called out their loved ones' names, urging their spirits to return home.

A survivor grieves.
A man shows photographs of his lost loved ones: his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and niece.

Families returning to the site of Shiao Lin village to mourn the dead.

A muddy plain where the village of Shiao Lin stood a week ago.

Our island is now soliciting help from the international community, and the US and other countries are now delivering supplies such as portable shelters to the affected areas. The local people have been showing their generosity as well, donating food and supplies to those in need. A local community group organized a clothing and supplies drive at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial last week, but it had to be called off after a couple days because so much had already been donated--their delivery trucks were full!

Please continue to remember those suffering in our area.

(Photos from CNN.com and BBC.com.)