Elderly woman drowns after being trapped in flooded home
A major flood struck Guangfu Township in Hualien, Taiwan, after Typhoon Ragasa caused the Matai’an Creek Barrier Lake to overflow on Tuesday (23 Sept).
The surging waters from the lake, located about 11km away from downstream communities, has killed at least 14 people.
Among the deceased is an 87-year-old woman who drowned after being trapped in her home.
The deceased’s daughter recalled that the flooding was unexpected and caused significant damage to their property.
Source: ETtoday
Even her husband and son, who risked their lives to search for the elderly woman later on, could not retrieve her.
The father-son duo was subsequently rescued by the Pingtung Fire Department at around 3am.
“The entire ground floor was submerged, and all of our belongings were washed away,” added the bereaved daughter.
Still, she took comfort that her mother’s body had not been washed away by the current.
She hopes local authorities can retrieve her mother’s body soon so she can be laid to rest.
Residents say they did not receive warning
According to BBC, survivors of the flood claim that there was no warning from authorities before disaster struck.
Meanwhile, officials said that they issued an evacuation notice for residents at 7am on Tuesday.
Source: Taiwan News
As of 25 Sept, there are reportedly about 1,200 residents seeking refuge in shelters.
Water supply had also been cut off, with survivors depending on a limited amount of bottled water.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing in areas where floodwaters have receded, with crews also clearing mud from roads.
Also read: 6-year-old girl rescued after 2 days trapped in flooded Taiwan home, god-aunt found dead
6-year-old girl rescued after 2 days trapped in flooded Taiwan home, god-aunt found dead
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Featured image adapted from ETtoday and Taiwan News.
