Taipei, Nov. 2 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian Thursday visited Taipei County and Keelung in northern Taiwan, areas that were heavily damaged by Typhoon Xangsane which barreled through Taiwan Tuesday night.
The storm, packing torrential rain, triggered heavy flooding in northern Taiwan, especially in the low-lying Hsichih, Chitu, and Keelung areas.
Chen attended a briefing by officials of the Water Conservation Agency under the Ministry of Economic Affairs on the sudden rise in the water level of the Keelung River, which runs through Keelung and Taipei, that was the cause of much of the flooding. The president asked the authorities in Taipei and Keelung to step up communication with local people so as to implement dredging work in the river to curb future damage.