Taiwan clears up, slowly reopens after hit from Typhoon Krathon
· CNA · JoinKAOHSIUNG: 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.
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.
Power remained down on Friday for 100,000 households, almost all in Kaohsiung and Pingtung.
The fire department said the death toll remained at two, both were men killed on the mountainous east coast before the typhoon made landfall, with one person missing and 667 injuries.
Taiwan's north-south highspeed rail line reopened, though there was continued air transport disruption, with 13 international and 85 domestic flights cancelled.
The government also said it was investigating the cause of a Pingtung hospital fire that broke out as the typhoon was bearing down, killing nine people.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app