After Taiwan’s parliament, the Legislative Yuan, convened to renegotiate a hastily approved, $3.65-billion reconstruction bill late in September, a new budget now has been released, requesting the same value. The “Special Statute for Reconstruction for Post-Typhoon Morakot Disaster,” announced on Oct. 12, calls for the Yuan to set up a reconstruction implementation committee with Premier Wu Dun-yih and Vice Premier Eric Li-luan Chu as primary overseers of the three-year reconstruction program.
For now, immediate attention is slowly shifting away from relief efforts and moving toward cleanup and reinforcement priorities. Typhoon Morakot, Taiwan’s worst storm in 50 years, in August left over 650 dead and more than 10,000 homeless, most of whom have found shelter in temporary homes. Now, there is a need to clear remaining debris and consider reinforcements before design and rebuilding of destroyed infrastructure can begin.