Earthquake Recovery Still Underway in Tainan One Month On

TaiwanPlus News

Tainan's rural Nansi District is still picking up the pieces a month after a 6.4 earthquake struck the region, but some residents are still suffering as help arrives.

Transcript

00:0085-year-old Ms. Huang lived in this house in southern Taiwan for six decades.

00:05But a month after a serious earthquake, she's unsure if she can stay.

00:10With cracks tearing through the walls, the structure's been declared unsafe.

00:14Ms. Huang's hired workers to put metal reinforcements in.

00:18The question now is which will win out?

00:20Her desire to stay put and avoid burdening her children and grandchildren, or her fear

00:25the temporary fixes will give way.

00:39This is now a fairly common story here in Tainan's rural Nanxi District.

00:44The buildings here tend to be old, predating modern regulations.

00:47And the people who live in them are aging too, with nearly 30% of locals 65 or older,

00:53leaving many unable to do repairs or make new living arrangements themselves.

00:58Ms. Li, also 85, has seen her house declared unsafe too.

01:03Her daughter has come back to Nanxi to look after her.

01:06But so far, the two have had to live in a tent, as landlords aren't keen on having a

01:10senior citizen as a tenant.

01:19There are some opportunities to get temporary housing.

01:22The Tainan city government is working on converting dorms set up for waterworks employees

01:27into shelters.

01:39Interest has been limited, though, as a shortage of rooms and good repair means two to three

01:44families may have to share a space.

01:47Still, while recovery has been painful, some locals see an opportunity for people to talk

01:53about the social problems the area faces.

02:10Meanwhile the Tainan city government says more help is on the way, and people still

02:15suffering from the earthquake will get the assistance they need.

02:18Luffy Lee and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.

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