Premier Lin Chuan says the government will help pay for repairs to houses in Kinmen damaged by Typhoon Meranti. Lin was speaking Friday while visiting the offshore island just off the coast of mainland China.
The premier said the government drew up a subsidy plan after Typhoon Nepartak struck the southeastern county of Taitung in early July.
“When the storm hit Taitung last time, some houses were damaged. They could still be lived in, they were not destroyed or damaged beyond repair. We did a review of the damage last time and came up with a subsidy plan. The plan applies to Kinmen also," said Lin.
Kinmen was hit hard by the passage of Typhoon Meranti on Wednesday, experiencing power and water outages. Traffic on the island was blocked by fallen trees, which also damaged power lines.
On the main island of Taiwan, the southernmost counties of Kaohsiung and Pingtung were the areas most affected by the storm.
Agricultural losses from Typhoon Meranti have been estimated at nearly NT$600 million (US$20 million).
Also on Friday, the premier called on the public to take extra precautions as another typhoon, Malakas, has increased in strength and looks set to bring more strong rain and wind to northern and northeastern Taiwan over the weekend.