Cleanup Underway as Typhoon Champi Leaves Over 9,000 Damage Reports

As weather calms, recovery begins. Here in Taiwan's eastern county of Yilan, powerful gusts from typhoon Gaemi pushed this shipping container into a house, crushing parts of the structure. Its resident Mrs. Hong is still processing what happened. Meanwhile, at a nearby fishing port, Ropes used to moor boats were no match for the powerful gusts. Typhoon Gaemi has also left trails of damage in areas further north. Mountain villages in Hsinchu County evacuated thousands of residents before roads could be blocked by debris. Overall, officials counted over 9,000 damage reports by Saturday evening. with one person dead and over 600 injured. In Taipei, where most damage was reported, workers are scrambling to get roads cleared before Monday. There are still alleys under eight meters in Linli Park, and our district offices, by tonight, hope to complete all the restoration work. As for the large parks and green spaces under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department, including those in special mountainous areas, we hope to complete the restoration within a week. The Central Weather Administration lifted typhoon warnings on Saturday evening. While the immediate threat has passed, it says the conditions behind this year's frequent, powerful storms remain a concern. Making it rank alongside this year's Bawi and Shinleque and Typhoon Dolphin as the strongest typhoons of the year. The reason this typhoon was so strong, as with other typhoons, is mainly because this is a super El Niño year, with an environment where sea temperatures are relatively high. And as Typhoon Gaemi weakens and moves away, another typhoon has formed in the Pacific Ocean. Its path still unclear. For communities still picking up the pieces, the hope is that the new storm will not be coming for Taiwan. Alex Chen in Yilan for Taiwan Plus.