New Canadian envoy visits Typhoon Morakot disaster zone
Taipei, Sept. 30 (CNA) The new top Canadian envoy to Taiwan has visited areas in the southernmost county of Pingtung that were devastated by Typhoon Morakot Aug. 8, to express sympathy for the storm survivors, according to a Wednesday press release from the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT).
Scott Fraser, executive director of the CTOT, who assumed office two weeks ago, spent the previous day in southern Taiwan to witness first-hand the destruction caused by the typhoon and to convey Canada’s concerns for the welfare of those displaced by the disaster, particularly the hard-hit aboriginal communities, according to the press release.
“To see the images of the typhoon on television and in the newspaper is one thing, but to witness in person the immense destruction caused by Morakot is another thing altogether, ” Fraser was quoted as saying.
“I am left not only with a deep impression of just how damaging Morakot was, but also with a sense of how its impact will be felt in these remote communities for many years to come, long after the roads have been repaired and homes have been rebuilt,” he added.
With the help of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Fraser visited camps housing several hundred aboriginal people displaced by the storm, and traveled to remote mountainous areas where landslips and mudslides caused by the typhoon destroyed roads, bridges and villages.
He also met with officials at the Cabinet’s Post-Typhoon Reconstruction Commission in Kaohsiung City in charge of coordinating the reconstruction planning, and with representatives of non-government organizations advocating the interests of typhoon survivors and distributing supplies in shelters.
It is clear that people have been mobilized at all levels of government and society to collaborate to rebuild what was lost and to help those who have suffered, according to Fraser, who experienced the impact of the Sept. 21 earthquake that rattled Taiwan 10 years ago.
“It was saddening to once again witness the destructive impact of a natural disaster in Taiwan. At the same time, the strength of Taiwanese people in terms of mobilization and willingness to cooperate to overcome immense difficulties has once again been outstanding,” he said.
The CTOT will continue to monitor the situation on the ground in southern Taiwan and to look for ways in which Canada can be of assistance, the press release said.
Shortly after Morakot hit Taiwan, Canada donated 50,000 Canadian dollars (US$46,292) to the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China, and provided 200,000 water purification tablets, according to the CTOT, adding that its staff also raised NT$67,300 (US$2,094), along with a significant amount of funds raised by the Taiwanese-Canadian community.
Typhoon Morakot, which struck Taiwan Aug. 7-9, triggered flooding and mudslides that left more than 600 people dead and another 70 missing, and rendered thousands homeless. (By Rachel Chan)
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