Taiwan prepares for months of homelessness

TAIPEI, SEPT 28: A week after the most powerful earthquake in Taiwan's history killed 2,100 people, the country on Tuesday prepared for m...

TAIPEI, SEPT 28: A week after the most powerful earthquake in Taiwan’s history killed 2,100 people, the country on Tuesday prepared for months of homelessness and disruption from the island’s shattered infrastructure.

As mass ceremonies were held for the dead — who according to traditional beliefs return after seven days for a last look at the living — politicians warned it would take years to rebuild Taiwan.

On Tuesday, the parliament was due to ratify a six-month nationwide state of emergency which allows the government to disregard planning laws, raise new finance and appropriate private property for relief and reconstruction.

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Opposition legislators said six months was too short. “The reconstruction will take at least three to four years,” said Democratic Progressive Party MP Chen Chi-Ma I, adding, "The emergency is only legitimate for six months, what about the reconstruction after that?"

Seven days after the pre-dawn quake struck central Taiwan, the death toll was at 2,105 with a further8,713 people injured, 141 missing or trapped in rubble, and 100 stranded in remote areas.

More than 8,470 aftershocks have been recorded.

A priority was to house more than 100,000 refugees living on the streets or in tented camps since the massive 7.6-Richter-scale quake. The shockwave destroyed or made uninhabitable close to 12,000 residential blocks, many high-rises containing up to 100 flats. Some towns near the epicentre reported up to 98 per cent structural damage and in the state of emergency decree, central Taiwan was declared a disaster area.

With the onset of autumn, rain showers and daily warnings of worsening camp hygiene, an urgent programme of providing low-cost quick-build temporary housing began Monday.

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The Buddhist charity Tzu Chi and the government have announced initial plans for 5,000 pre-fabricated units in Taichung and Nantou, two of the worst affected counties. Japan has pledged to provide some units.

Psychiatrists have also warned of the need for counselling for thousands ofrefugees suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Total infrastructure damage is estimated at more than 100 billion Taiwanese dollars. Engineers were still struggling to reconnect water and power supplies Tuesday. Taiwan Water Supply Co said 36 per cent of homes remained without a reliable supply.

Electricity generator Taipower has introduced a two-week programme of rotating power cuts of up to six and a half hours but has restored full power to core industries, such as 284 microchip makers at Hsinchu industrial park in the north.

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The state monopoly telecom provider Chunghwa said all but 28,000 numbers had been reconnected.

Meanwhile, the transport ministry set a target of December 15 for a comprehensive assessment of damage to the road network. More than 600 stretches of road and 60 bridges were hit and at least one major link will have to be demolished, the ministry said, estimating total cost at nine billion Taiwanese dollars.

While most roads were passable to even the most remote areas,the risk of landslides blocking routes into the hilly interior remains high with powerful aftershocks expected to continue for up to two months.

Airports have been unaffected, and only one sea port, Taichung, faces repairs estimated at up to six months. A railway line linking the capital Taipei with the southern city of Kaohsiung also needs repair.

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In areas where schools collapsed or are closed for reconstruction, parents have been ordered to move their children to the nearest alternative.