TYPHOON MERANTI DESTROYS NEARLY 500M TREES IN KINMEN|金門樹倒5百萬株 千名國軍助善後

Typhoon Meranti has also caused serious damage in Kinmen area, toppling the gate of the Jincheng Matsu Temple and knocking over nearly 5 million trees. Premier Lin Chuan visited Kinmen on Sep. 16 and instructed the Forestry Bureau to assist in the recovery effort. Kinmen was ravaged by the heavy rains and strong winds brought by Typhoon Meranti. With the help of over 1,000 soldiers, residents worked to clean up and restore their homes . The first thing they had to do was clear fallen trees. The trees block traffic or have damaged utility poles or cables. The Kinmen County Government estimated that over 5 million trees were destroyed, amounting to a loss of NT$1.8 billion. Premier Lin Chuan inspected the damage in Kinmen and instructed the Forestry Bureau to assist in the recovery effort, which is expected to cost over NT$2.3 billion. ==LIN CHUAN, Premier== We hope the Forestry Bureau will provide assistance with planning for re-planting of the forest in Kinmen, so that it can be even better in the future. The gate of the Jincheng Matsu Temple was destroyed by the wind, and a stone lion toppled over and left shattered stone scattered on the ground. A 300-year-old banyan tree at the Qing Dynasty Kinmen Military Headquarters also collapsed and damaged parts of the building roof. ==LU KUN-HE, Chief, Kinmen Cultural Affairs Bureau== We have reported the loss to the Bureau of Cultural Heritage. They said we will receive funding to restore the monuments. The mini Three Links are suspended because Shuitou Pier in Kinmen and its counterpart in China's Fujian both suffered typhoon damage. One fishing boat sank, 18 were semi-submerged and 2 were damaged. Total losses to fishing vessels amounted to NT$11 million. Three hundred residences collapsed or were damaged. The loss is estimated to be NT$120 million. TRANSLATED BY：CHRISTINA LIU 金門這次也是受災嚴重的地區，不但金城天后宮前牌樓倒塌，縣政府統計，全金門的樹木被強風吹倒近500萬株，估計復育經費高達23.5億元，行政院長林全昨天上午前往金門視察，指示林務局協助復育。 莫蘭蒂大風大雨重創金門，金屬做的水塔就倒在馬路上，金門民眾趕緊清理環境，軍方也派出上千名官兵協助恢復家園，第一步就是把倒掉的樹木清除。 尤其是影響往來交通，或者是壓倒電線桿或電線，影響電力供給的，都要先搬開，金門縣政府大約估計這次風災，包括林區風倒木、行道樹和綠籬損失近500萬株，損害金額為新台幣18億3462萬元，復育經費高達23.5億元。行政院長林全16日視察金門災情後表示，將請林務局協助復育。 ==行政院長 林全== 那我們希望未來這個 林務局也能夠協助 能夠讓這個金門的這個 整個的這個 植栽的部份要怎麼去 林相要怎麼去 能夠做得更好 更具有規劃 金城天后宮前牌樓，也被強風吹斷，可以看倒塌的牌樓一塊塊散落地面，石獅也躺在地上。另外建於明朝的古蹟金門總兵署，三百多年歷史的榕樹，也被強風吹倒，造成總兵署廂房受損，屋頂破洞。 ==金門縣政府文化局長 呂坤和== 我們已經跟文資局回報災損情況 文資局答應我們這個經費 一定會幫我們處理 兩岸小三通的金門水頭碼頭因設備受損，暫停營運，由於對岸中國福建也遭受風災，將等小三通兩岸的碼頭設施都修復後，才會恢復小三通。至於漁港漁船受損部份，有1艘漁船沉沒、18艘半沉、2艘受損，總損失金額1100萬元。另外房屋毀損部分，有300戶倒塌或受損，損失金額大約1億2千萬元。 記者 呂佩錦 彭耀祖 張志雄 金門報導