President Tsai Ing-wen visited the disaster stricken county of Taitung in southeastern Taiwan on Sunday, in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Nepartak.
Nepartak swept a destructive path through southern Taiwan on Friday. Packing winds of up to 280 km/h (175 mph), the storm uprooted trees, flipped cars and destroyed homes.
Tsai visited several of the hardest hit areas, including the outlying Green Island and Orchid Island. When residents of Green Island expressed their need for volunteers and provisions, Tsai responded by saying she understood their needs. Later she wrote a post on Facebook saying that the people of Taiwan would stand with the citizens of Taitung.
Tsai also said that she had ordered related agencies to offer assistance as quickly as possible in order to help people rebuild following the typhoon. She also called on Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan to help clear roads which are blocked by debris.
Estimates put the total damage to crops and buildings in Taitung at around NT$2.6 billion (nearly US$81 million).