Two lawmakers are calling on the Ministry of the Interior to boost rental subsidies for quake victims. The earthquake, which rocked southern Taiwan on February 6, toppled several buildings in Tainan, leaving others severely damaged.
One of the lawmakers, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Chen Ting-fei, said that the government’s rental subsidies are awarded based on the number of people per household. But she said the cap of NT$10,000 (US$333) per month, is insufficient in the current rental market.
The Ministry of the Interior says that it is looking into the matter and will continue to discuss the details with the local government.
Another concern is soil liquefaction, or the softening of the soil as a result of the earthquake. That loss of stiffness in the ground has compromised the structure of buildings in the affected areas. Chen said that many people in the affected area are living in fear that their home could collapse.
The Construction and Planning Agency’s Wu Hung-shuo says that different approaches can be used to reinforce the ground, but that the buildings must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
“When reinforcing a building, you have to consider the ground topography, and the structure of the building, some are three stories, seven stories or eight stories," said Wu, "The way of you reinforce it depends on the structure. When we talk about using grouting as a way of stabilizing a building, that’s just one technique, it’s not a panacea that’s applicable in all ground improvement situations.”