00:00I'm very sad. But how do we do? We still have to do it. I don't know if we're going to where to go.
00:08As she pulls herself together to do work on her flooded home,
00:12Chen Wanlin tries to hold back tears in front of her husband and mother
00:15in the aftermath of this unexpected disaster.
00:20Her husband Chen Hanzen says his family has lived here for the past eight decades,
00:25now forced to stay in a local shelter.
00:27Today, he got up at 4 a.m. and came straight to his house and hauled out furniture.
00:32He said he had heard announcements in the past telling people to get upstairs if water comes.
00:38But on the day of the flood, he did not get any warning, and there was no time to react.
00:57Inside the house, the children's height chart on the wall is now stained by mud.
01:12Inside the house, the children's height chart on the wall is now stained by mud.
01:24Doorways are completely stuck, making it impossible to save what's left inside.
01:30He says each day is a struggle, but he and his family are getting through it by keeping a brave face.
01:35There are one of many families in this neighborhood in eastern Taiwan's Hualing County to suffer from destructive flooding,
01:57after a natural dam in the mountains breached twice on September 23rd from intense rain brought by Typhoon Ragusa.
02:05This neighborhood, on the outskirts of Guangfu Township, has seen some of the worst damage in the area.
02:11But cleanup efforts have mostly been concentrated on the high-traffic roads and residences near the train station.
02:17This whole area used to be farmlands. Now houses inside are completely flooded out.
02:23There's still little can be done as the water keeps flowing down this way and the mud is still thick and wet.
02:32There are ongoing rescue operations in this area.
02:36First responders have been deployed to check for missing persons in houses buried in mud.
02:41At the Emergency Response Center, officials are constantly being briefed on the latest reports.
02:46As of Friday, 15 people have been confirmed dead, and 7 are still missing in Guangfu.
02:52Most people are on the Shiloh Road and the Shiloh Road.
02:56Currently, the water is still very high.
03:00Some areas are still a lot of destruction, so our neighbors can't be able to go in there and確認.
03:10On the streets, volunteers from around the country are arriving at Guangfu train station.
03:30The transportation ministry is waiving train fares for pre-approved volunteer groups going to and from Guangfu station.
03:37Loan travelers still have to pay for the ride, but that's of little concern for some passionate volunteers from outside of town.
03:44Officials have kept the highest warning for the dam, as there is still water flowing downstream.
04:13For the locals and helpers in this town, it's an anxious wait to find out how long it would take until they can return and rebuild.
04:20Fu Wahong, Hank Xu, John Tzu, and Irene Lin in Hualien for Taiwan Plus.
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