Flood-Hit Guangfu Shaken After Latest Storm, New Barrier Lake Breach

TaiwanPlus News

Guangfu Township in eastern Taiwan, still recovering in the aftermath of a barrier lake breach in September, has been told to evacuate its residents for five days straight since Tropical Storm Fung Wong started bringing heavy rain to the area. Locals said the breach warnings are testing their patience and mental health.

Transcript

00:00A village chief is keeping evacuees' hopes up, as this is the fifth day residents of Guangfu

00:11Township in eastern Taiwan's Hualang County have been told to evacuate. This is the town's local

00:16church. It's been designated as a neighborhood shelter, and 90-some people are still stuck here

00:23due to imminent danger from a barrier lake breach in the mountains above. They were told to pack

00:28their things and flee twice this week. First on Monday, before tropical storm Fung Wong

00:33made landfall, then again on Thursday, when authorities spotted a new barrier lake.

00:58The town was supposed to go back to school and work, but residents said the second warning

01:12came suddenly, leaving them scrambling. And the September disaster still haunts residents,

01:18when the first barrier lake burst its banks and sent flash floods down the Ma Tai An River

01:23into their homes and town streets. Many are still working on repairing their glassless windows

01:28and putting doors back up, all while still having nightmares about the day the muddy

01:33flood waters rushed in.

02:03They say the constant dread and recurring warnings are testing their patients and mental health.

02:08But with 350,000 metric tons of water hanging over their heads,

02:13the question of when the barrier lakes will be resolved remains.

02:17For now, people here are still waiting for the evacuation warning to be lifted

02:21and hoping that there won't be another breach warning that will keep them from going home.

02:25Andy Xue, Fu Wahong and Irene Lin in Hualien for Taiwan Plus.

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