About NT$3 billion (US$92.37 million) would be needed to revitalize tourism in Hualien County after it was devastated on April 3 by a quake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.
The quake, the largest to hit Taiwan in 25 years, caused severe damage to facilities and infrastructure in Hualien, including in Taroko National Park.
The Chateau de Chine in Hualien (花蓮翰品酒店) was forced to lay off 86 employees, as the hotel needs to be torn down and rebuilt due to damage.
Photo: Daniel Ceng, EPA-EFE
Many domestic travelers have canceled trips to the east coast due to aftershocks, which as of yesterday totaled 906.
The Ministry of the Interior on Monday said that the cost of rebuilding in Taroko National Park could reach NT$1 billion.
The Tourism Administration is planning three rounds of stimulus initiatives to reboot the tourism industry in the county, Wang told reporters before attending a Transportation Committee meeting at the legislature in Taipei.
The first round would consist mainly of disaster relief, while the second round would focus on funding for people whose homes were damaged or destroyed, he said.
The third round would be to subsidize individuals and group tours to Hualien after facilities are rebuilt, he said.
The initiatives have been estimated to exceed NT$3 billion, Wang said, adding that details would be finalized by the Executive Yuan and could be implemented next month.
The ministry is scouting for a potential corridor to build an extension of the Shuishalian Freeway — Freeway No. 6, which runs from Taichung’s Wufong District (霧峰) to Puli Township (埔里) in Nantou County and connects to Hualien County via provincial highways 14, 14A and 8 — to connect directly to Hualien, he said, adding that the study is to be completed by 2026.
The committee also reviewed a special bill proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) that would mandate an extension of the freeway to Hualien.
“We began scouting for a potential route last year and a feasibility study will be conducted once one has been identified,” Wang said.
The Freeway Bureau said in a report that the extension would be 90km and have 18 tunnels, with the longest being 17.4km.
Experts believe the cost to build the extension would be high, as construction could take years due to the unpredictable geological conditions in the Central Mountain Range, the report said.
The road would also affect the environment, which could compromise road safety, it said.
Democratic Progressive Party legislators Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) and Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said they oppose a mandate to build the extension.
“Geological surveys, feasibility studies, environment impact assessments and financial planning must be conducted for such a project,” Lee said. “The Suhua Highway Improvement Project has proven its value given how it came through during the earthquake, showing that safety and sustainability should be the top priority for such projects.”
“I understand every legislator’s need to seek funding from the central government for projects in their districts, but making construction a mandate contradicts the constitutional principle of separation of powers,” Tsai said. “If this precedent were set, it could potentially be followed by hundreds of mandates.”
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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