Taipei, Sept. 17 (CNA) President Chen, agonized by the damage caused by Typhoon Nari to the island, visited the Emergency Relief Center Monday evening for the second time in a day and gave further instructions to relief workers.
The president arrived at the center in the National Fire Administration under the Ministry of the Interior at 8 p.m., listened to briefings from related government agencies on the latest damage reports and was said to be unhappy with the center's inability to collect comprehensive information on the damage in Taipei City.
Chen, who had already visited the center at 8:30 a.m., spoke of his tour during the day to the flood-ravaged areas along the Keelung River in Taipei County, saying that he was "saddened" by the sufferings undergone by people living along the river.
Since Nari has not yet left the island, Chen warned the public and all government agencies not to relax their vigilance against disasters.
To speed up reconstruction after the flooding, the president gave an additional eight directives to officials of various government agencies in addition to the four he had already given during his visit to the center in the morning.
The president said the search for those people who are missing, put by the center at six, should be the top priority of all rescue operations, and the search should not be called off as long as there is still hope of finding them alive. The Ministry of National Defense should dispatch military troops to help with rescue operations and restore society to normal as soon as possible, Chen said.
Noting that electricity and water to many households are still out, the president demanded related agencies to restore them as soon as possible, and to reopen roads that were closed in mountainous areas and repair telecommunications failures.
He asked the heads of government ministries to oversee the post-disaster reconstruction from its inception to its completion.
He instructed government agencies to check complaints from people living by the banks of the Keelung River that the many container yards along the river have contributed to flooding by blocking the river's course.
He also urged health and environmental protection agencies to prevent diseases which might flare up after the flooding.
Finally, the president thanked rescue workers for their fine work during the typhoon.