President Ma Ying-jeou on the evening of August 10 visited the Central Emergency Operation Center for the fifth time to examine the latest efforts being made in response to the enormous losses caused by Typhoon Morakot. The president received a weather forecast by the Central Weather Bureau and heard reports by various agencies with regards to rescue and relief work being carried out. President Ma specially instructed government agencies to do their utmost in responding to the disaster and for officials to put themselves in the shoes of the victims who are suffering as a result of the disaster. He urged everyone to do their best in carrying out the enormous job of reconstruction in the days ahead.
President Ma said that while the typhoon has now departed Taiwan, it has left behind extremely serious damage. In particular, the impact upon Xiaolin Village, Jiaxian Township in Kaohsiung County was likely significantly worse than in other places. Therefore, the president said he is monitoring the situation with a heavy heart, but has not given up hope that good news may yet be received.
President Ma said that everyone is aware that public servants in counties throughout Taiwan have been quite effective in their work. Meanwhile, government workers helped evacuate many residents of typhoon-stricken areas to nearby elementary schools. However, these schools do not have bathing facilities. As a result, the military has specially provided field showers, which have been a very welcome amenity for victims of the storm. In Zhiben, where a levee along the Taimali River was breached and rail lines and roads were washed away, the president said the military will work as quickly as possible to create a temporary bridge in order to restore transportation links. Until the bridge is up, however, two helicopters of the National Airborne Service Corps are being used to transport essential goods to the area. In addition, persons have and will continue to be dispatched to the area to restore vital services, such as telephone service, electricity and running water. This is how it was possible, he said, to restore communications in some areas very quickly after the disaster. President Ma said he hopes that efforts will be further strengthened in this regard.
Regarding the collapse of the Jinshuai Hotel, the president said that in future reconstruction special attention must be paid to the soil composition of the area where structures are built. Higher construction standards should be put in place so that a major flood in the future will not result in such extreme destruction. President Ma said he hopes the Water Resources Agency and other agencies will jointly examine how to raise related standards. The president commented that Minister Fan Liang-shiow of the Public Construction Commission brought up the issue of pre-fabricated homes. In the future after villages are re-located, there is no choice but for villages to temporarily make their homes in pre-fabricated structures. He said the government has asked county governments to assist in finding appropriate places for villages to be located and to carry out work to create basic infrastructure in those areas, including drainage pipes, sewer systems and the like. Meanwhile, he said, the central government will be responsible for the pre-fab homes. President Ma said that he and Minister Fan have already looked into this issue, and he hopes that the division of labor for this work can be carried out successfully.
President Ma said that everyone involved in the rescue, relief and reconstruction effort must put themselves in the shoes of those who have been impacted by the disaster and strive to understand the pain and suffering currently being felt by those in the disaster areas. He said he hopes that those involved in the relief work or staff at emergency relief centers in the respective counties need to have a deep understanding of the feelings of the people there and put themselves in the place of the victims of the disaster. Only by this will they be able to consider problems from the standpoint of the residents.
President Ma said this disaster has given us ever more experience in dealing with such situations, and he said he hopes that everyone will continue to work hard. This was an extremely unusual typhoon, the president remarked. Even though the typhoon warning has been lifted, the disaster relief work must continue. Looking ahead, the reconstruction work is merely beginning, he said. Therefore, the Executive Yuan has already made related preparations, and the president said he hopes that county governments will do likewise. The president made specific remarks addressed to the Taitung County government, saying he hopes the administration there will establish a post-disaster reconstruction committee that will be responsible for setting forth clear lines of responsibility in carrying out reconstruction work. He said the committee should establish close contact with the central government and serve as an appropriate window, helping to coordinate related work and ensure that it is carried out in a seamless manner. The president said that Taitung County's deputy commissioner specially mentioned that the county has already received notification by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) asking that it be informed of the related disaster relief and reconstruction funding required. He said the DGBAS will work to arrange for the various funding needed, and noted that the Taitung County government has expressed gratitude to the central government for the concern it is exhibiting at the local level.
President Ma said he realizes that the post-disaster reconstruction work will be an enormous job. He told everyone in attendance that the government needs to immediately commence with the reconstruction work. The president said he hopes that the Executive Yuan will make appropriate preparations in terms of budgeting, manpower and supplies needed to carry out this work. While this is an extremely tough job, the president said he hopes that development of Xiaolin Village will move in a positive direction. The president also expressed his appreciation to the military for the assistance it has provided in re-establishing contact between Xiaolin Village and the outside world. President Ma said he hopes everyone will continue to persevere and complete their jobs. This disaster has enabled us to realize that even though man cannot control the forces of nature, more important is how to reduce the impact of disasters to a minimum. This is the biggest challenge facing the government, he said. Lastly, President Ma said that he hopes everyone will do their utmost to overcome this serious challenge.