TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Typhoon Ragasa (樺加沙) killed 15 people and left 34 missing after floods devastated Hualien's Guangfu Township (光復鄉), according to the latest tallies released Thursday (Sept. 25) by authorities.
Floodwaters swept through the rural community in eastern Taiwan two days earlier, destroying the Matai'an Creek Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) and inundating the city center. Residents now face massive cleanup efforts as enormous amounts of trash cover their streets following the overflow of Matai'an Creek's (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake.
Streets remain covered in mud with garbage piles stretching hundreds of meters and emitting pungent odors. Residents cannot return home to begin cleanup efforts and fear health hazards from accumulated waste. They demand that public authorities deploy personnel to clear debris immediately.
Local residents used Facebook to highlight the crisis, with one user reporting that garbage from across Guangfu Township had washed up at their aunt's house. The debris completely blocks the entrance and exit to the property. Residents urge the Hualien County government, the local administrative authority, to send assistance for debris removal so they can return home and rebuild.