Monday August 20th, 2007

Some lines taken directly from the Taipei Times in regards to Typhoon Sepat:

+ cutting power to nearly 95,000 homes, injuring twenty four people and forcing more than 1,000 others to evacuate

+ Four people suffered minor injuries in Taipei after being blown off their motorcycles while one man was wounded by falling rocks in Kaohsiung

+ 1,785 people had to evacuate their homes in mountain villages that were threatened by mudslides

+ Several vehicles were crushed by a falling billboard in Taipei, scaffolding collapsed on the outskirts of the city and in mountainous areas, workers battled to clear uprooted trees and rocks blocking roads

+ radius reached 250km

+ maximum wind speed near the center was measured at 126kph

+ Strong wind and torrential rain had damaged about 2,500 hectares devoted to fruit and vegetables in Hualien, with 1,340 hectares of cropland completely destroyed

+ Pomelo growers sustained the heaviest losses, with around 1,040 hectares of pomelo orchards damaged

+ Watermelons, bananas and leafy vegetables were also seriously damaged

+ An AFA release said there are more than 4,500 tonnes of vegetables stored in temperature-controlled warehouses that can be gradually released into the market to absorb consumer demand

Things have been getting back to normal ... I spent some time today clearing one of the balconies free from leaves and dirt. I still have one more to go ... tomorrow perhaps as it's a day off.