DEATH TOLL FROM TYPHOON MORAKOT RISES, RESCUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 000966

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE ALSO FOR EAP/TC AND CA/OCS, BANGKOK FOR USAID/OFDA
REGIONAL ADVISOR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2019
TAGS: ECON AEMR CASC PGOV SENV XE TW
SUBJECT: DEATH TOLL FROM TYPHOON MORAKOT RISES, RESCUE
EFFORTS CONTINUING

REF: TAIPEI 958

TAIPEI 00000966 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: Acting Director Robert S. Wang for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The death toll and damages caused by
Typhoon Morakot continue to rise as rescue workers fan out
across central and southern Taiwan to ascertain the typhoon's
full impact. Penetration into remote areas by rescuers,
including members of the Ministry of National Defense's
"special battle squad," is revealing serious damage to roads
and large-scale mudslide and flooding damage. While the
official death toll is at 41, unofficial numbers are more
than ten times as high. Economic damage, primarily to the
agricultural sector, is more than double what was reported
only 24 hours ago, and might shave nearly half a percentage
point from Taiwan's third-quarter GDP numbers. AIT is
preparing a Disaster Declaration Cable (septel) to request
U.S. assistance for Taiwan's rescue and recovery efforts. END
SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Search and rescue efforts continue in central and
southern Taiwan in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, where
authorities are discovering that the damage left in the
typhoon's wake is more extensive than originally feared. The
official death toll has been revised upwards to 41 persons as
of the afternoon of August 11. Officially, 62 individuals
are reported missing and 35 injured. However, as rescue
efforts reach into more remote parts of the island, the
unofficial count of dead, missing, and injured continues to
rise. For instance, in the most notable case so far, media
reports that upwards of 400 people are missing and presumed
dead in a mudslide that destroyed the village of Xiaolin in
Kaohsiung County. AIT contacts at the Taiwan Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) tell us that as of August 10, 61
villagers in Xiaolin were rescued and 150 were known to be
safe. Although the village has an official population of
1,313, the EOC will not speculate as to the fate of the
unaccounted, but notes that many of them were likely not in
the village at the time of the typhoon. An official report
on the situation in Xiaolin will depend on local rescue
conditions and the EOC cannot say when such a report might be
forthcoming. AIT/CONS has confirmed with disaster management
authorities that there are no official reports of American
citizen victims. Two Amcits earlier reported missing in
Kaohsiung by a family member have been located, and AIT/K has
offered assistance as needed.


3. (C) In an August 10 meeting with the Acting Director,
Deputy National Security Advisor Ho Sze-yin compared the
situation in southern Taiwan to New Orleans in the aftermath
of Hurricane Katrina. As with Katrina, initial estimates of
damages caused by the storm appeared to be overly optimistic.
As rescue crews and news organizations reach the scene,
however, the extent of the disaster is becoming clearer.
Rainfall amounts high even by Taiwan typhoon season standards
(in some places, more than two meters of rain in two days),
exacerbated by several months of near-drought conditions that
left soil packed and impermeable to water, resulted in
landslide that wiped out roads, bridges and even, according
to initial reports, entire villages. As with Katrina, Ho
commented, Typhoon Morakot revealed weaknesses in Taiwan's
disaster response system. For example, he said, local
authorities in one township complained about the military's
delay in dispatching rescue crews to aid in an evacuation.
In fact, the military had, as requested, dispatched trucks to
the village within ten minutes of receiving the request.
When the trucks arrived at the area, however, they discovered
that the road into the town had been cut off by the flooding,
resulting in a delay as inflatable boats were brought in.


4. (SBU) AIT's Kaohsiung branch also noted that the initial
lack of inflatable boats hindered rescue efforts and the
delivery of food and supplies in the first two days after the
typhoon hit. Roughly 1 million households do not have access
to potable water, and access may not be restored for 7 days,

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according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Power has
been restored in some areas, but over 60,000 households are
still without electricity. AIT Kaohsiung reported that
typhoon damage has cut off communications to at least three
villages in Kaohsiung County. According to official data, a
total of 10,330 individuals were evacuated from their homes
and sent to stay temporarily in 138 shelters.


5. (SBU) The number of damaged roads reported has been
increased to 130, but 1 national expressway and 15 provincial
highways have been cleared and repaired. So far 14 bridges
have collapsed and 54 others have been closed. This is
Taiwan's worst bridge damage in 10 years, even worse than the
September 21, 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, according to Director
of National Central University's Bridge Engineering Research
Center Yao Nai-chia. At least 17 river banks and 1 sea bank
are currently under repair. All ports and airfields outside
of Pingtung are open.

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Relief and Assistance
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6. (SBU) In terms of relief efforts, Taiwan's Executive Yuan
has appropriated USD 91 million for a reconstruction fund for
typhoon victims, which will offer low interest loans and
funding for home repair. Private donations are also coming
in, with Cathay Financial Co. and BenQ Corporation together
donating nearly USD 3 million for rescue efforts. Two
visiting delegations from China each donated nearly USD
150,000 (one delegation is from China UnionPay Co., visiting
Taiwan to sign an agreement allowing Chinese visitors to the
island to use bank cards issued by China UnionPay, the other
delegation is headed by Fujian Province Deputy Governor Chen
Hua, visiting Taiwan to promote cross-strait economic and
cultural links between Fujian and Taiwan).


7. (SBU) Estimates of economic losses from Morakot continue
to grow, with financial services company SinoPac Holdings
estimating that typhoon-related losses may deduct up to 0.53
percentage points from GDP growth for the third quarter, or
0.13 percentage points for 2009 (meaning, in dollar terms,
SinoPac estimates losses stemming from Morakot will reach
roughly USD 457 million). 600 firms listed on the Taiwan
Stock Exchange yesterday reported approximately USD 6 million
in typhoon-related losses. The agricultural sector remains
the hardest hit, with losses mounting to USD 154 million
(twice what was reported yesterday in reftel).


8. (SBU) Vice Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia confirmed to AIT
that Taiwan would welcome U.S. assistance, as it has also
done for a 10 million yen (roughly USD 100,000) contribution
from Japan. Based on consultation with USAID Bangkok, AIT is
sending a Declaration of Disaster cable (septel) requesting
USD 250,000 to assist Taiwan with relief and rescue efforts.
USAID Bangkok noted Taiwan's substantial assistance to the
U.S. during Hurricane Katrina.

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Politics on Hold...Partially
--------------


9. (SBU) Taiwan's main political parties are putting
activities on hold to focus on relief efforts, and criticism
of Ma administration's lack of preparedness and slow reaction
remains pervasive. KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung announced that
the party would postpone the election of its Central
Committee members from August 16 to August 22, explaining
that rescue efforts are the party's top concern. The DPP has
postponed its regularly scheduled Wednesday Central Executive
Committee meeting to next week to allow members to help out
with relief efforts. Both parties have set up special bank
accounts to collect donations.


10. (SBU) The KMT Legislative Yuan held a press conference
on August 10 to urge President Ma to issue an emergency

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decree to facilitate the mobilization of public and private
resources for post-typhoon reconstruction work and relief
efforts. In response, the Presidential Office spokesman Wang
Yu-chi explained that Taiwan's Executive Yuan is responsible
for making decisions on rescue and reconstruction efforts and
noted that Ma, for now, does not judge an emergency decree
necessary. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan, meanwhile, criticized
the Kaohsiung County government for not evacuating residents
of mudslide-affected areas earlier, thereby preventing
casualty losses. Liu said the local government did not act
in a timely matter because County Magistrate Yang Chiu-hsing
(DPP) was on an overseas trip. Yang cut short his visit to
Europe and returned on August 9 and said he decided against
canceling his trip because the Central Weather Bureau had
predicted the typhoon would mainly hit northern Taiwan.
Politicians and residents alike will likely continue to point
the blame in different directions and in the end some local
and maybe even central officials will likely volunteer or be
forced to resign.
WANG