As Typhoon Koinu swept past Eluanbi, strong winds knocked down more than 40 utility poles in Pingtung County 200, causing power outages in Manzhou and Hengchun areas. County Magistrate Chou Chunmi rushed to inspect the disaster on the 5th in the afternoon. In addition to asking Taiwan Power Company to expedite repair work, in response to the upcoming Double Tenth Day long weekend tourist influx, they will also expedite the undergrounding of pole lines along Manzhou County Road 200, hoping to avoid future impact from wind disasters.
Chou Chunmi in Maldives Host Spring Hotel
Mayor Zhou also visited the Maldives Hot Spring Hotel in Hengchun to cheer up and show concern for the tribal people of the Fen Shui Ling tribe 分水嶺部落 in Manzhou who were being sheltered there, encouraging them with ‘Everyone has worked hard.
Typhoon Koinu came ferociously, and the county government team was fully prepared. Magistrate Chou first inspected the coastal areas in the morning and after hosting a working meeting at the Disaster Response Center in the afternoon, she hurriedly went to the Hengchun Peninsula to inspect the disaster, where Manzhou was severely affected.
The strong winds knocked down utility poles, causing a major power outage in the entire township. Taiwan Power mobilized over 300 support personnel and more than 190 engineering vehicles and crane trucks for aggressive repair work.
As the Double Tenth Day holiday is approaching, local authorities are worried that the power outage will affect tourists. Magistrate Chou also contacted Taiwan Power to send more personnel for repair work to restore power to the Hengchun Peninsula as soon as possible.
分水嶺部落 Fengshui Ling tribe in Manzhou
Last year, the cable undergrounding work on the Ping-E Highway was completed, greatly reducing power outages caused by trees and foreign objects touching the poles, and it withstood several typhoon tests this year, showing remarkable results from undergrounding. Mayor Zhou stated that the county government has planned for the entire pole line of Ping 200 Line in Manzhou Township to be placed underground, and after the typhoon, various units will be asked to expedite implementation.
This time, 62 people were evacuated from the Fen Shui Ling tribe in Manzhou Township. They were originally placed in the activity center of Manzhou Junior High School. Unexpectedly, the roof of the activity center was blown off by strong winds in the early morning of the 5th, and the tribespeople urgently evacuated to the township office.
Township Mayor Gu Rongfu contacted the county government for assistance. Due to a major power outage in the entire township and considering safety, the Social Affairs Department assisted in arranging for the tribespeople to be settled in the Maldives Hot Spring Hotel in Hengchun Town in the afternoon.
Kenting Maldives Hot Spring Hotel
Magistrate Chou Chunmi rushed to Hengchun Town to show concern for the tribespeople in the evening, comforting them by saying ‘Xiaokuan has turned into a vicious dog, everyone has worked hard.’ She shook hands with the tribespeople one by one, cheered with vuvu, played ‘compare hearts’ with the children of Chang Le Elementary School, reminded the children, ‘You can’t run around here like in the activity center, please pay attention to safety,’ and also asked local youths to take extra care of the elders.
Since the Fen Shui Ling tribe has been designated as a soil and water conservation red alert area, they must evacuate whenever there is a typhoon or heavy rain. This year has already seen the 4th safety evacuation. Regarding residents’ hope to relocate the village, Chou said that due to related laws and regulations, the county government will invite related units for discussion in the near future.