Makeshift Minbaklu bridge destroyed again after typhoon Chanthu 便道沖毀.南橫封閉  高雄桃源3里再成孤島

The three mountainous boroughs in Kaohsiung are once again isolated as the makeshift road merely last for 19 days.

Presenter: Access to the Taoyuan mountainous area of Kaohsiung was cut off once again after 19 days. Residents say food supplies may be enough to last about two weeks but they don't know what they can do should any medical emergencies arise. Meanwhile, some teachers working in local schools are unable to return.

Mud streams are pouring down the Yusui Creek in the Taoyuan mountains of Kaohsiung. Three more incidents of mudslides occurred in the afternoon of the 12th, destroying parts of the Minbaklu Bridge once again after access was restored for 19 days. With construction still ongoing at Provincial Highway No. 20, Fuxing, Lavulang and Meishan boroughs are once again cut off from the outside world.

Chiang Wei-ming, Fuxing Borough Chief, Taoyuan District, Kaohsiung:”Supplies should be enough for another ten days or so. I’m more worried about residents’ health; if anyone should feel sick it would be hard to get medical help at this time.”

Fuxing Borough Chief said there are more than 400 residents in all three boroughs. Supplies should be enough from previous preparations for the typhoon, he said, but access to medical treatment is a greater concern. 

Some teachers teaching at the Zanshan Elementary School are unable to return to the school, and the school is currently asking other teachers to sub in for them. The Directorate General of Highway (DGH) said they will need three to four days to restore access but construction is stalled due to the rain.

Cheng Cheng-wei, Chief of 3rd Maintenance Office Jiasian Construction Section, DGH:”Our measurements show about 120 meters of pathway got destroyed. If the weather cooperates, with no more rain and mudslides, we should be able to restore access within three to four days.”

The Jiasian Construction Section said that the weather serves a very big factor in the speed of their construction since there are still more than 8 million cubic meters of soil built up at the upper stream of Yusui Creek and right now it only takes 20 millimeters of rain to trigger a mudslide. Supplies should be enough for three weeks for the three boroughs and local authorities will assist the residents if special assistance is needed. 

泥流滾滾而下，高雄桃源山區的玉穗溪，12號下午再度出現3次土石流，也把開放通行19天的明霸克露橋便道再次沖毀，加上南橫台東端施工封閉，高雄桃源山區復興、拉芙蘭、梅山3里再度成孤島。

高雄桃源區復興里長 江維明：「里民的物資在1個禮拜到10天內，應該都沒有問題，現在只是擔心的，如果在這幾天路還沒有開通以前，如果有身體不舒服的，可能就會比較麻煩。」

復興里長說，目前山區3里約有400多人，不過因應颱風，里民都有存糧，只是擔心緊急醫療需求，而這次交通中斷，也有幾名樟山國小老師無法返校。校方回應，會先請其他老師支援，不影響學生受教，只是公路單位回到便道搶修，本預期3到4個工作日能搶通，卻因現場開始下雨，再次撤離所有人員、機具。

公路總局第三養護工程處甲仙工務段長 陳正偉：「流失的便道我們測量起來，大概120米(公尺)左右，因為現在已經又開始陰天了，如果依照我們的搶修進度來看，如果沒有下雨跟沒有土石流的狀況應該在3天至4天可以完成(搶通)。」

甲仙工務段評估，玉穗溪上游土石量還有800萬立方以上，尤其這次，24小時只降下20毫米雨量就碰上土石流，顯見搶通仍受天氣影響很大，但市府強調，桃源山區斷橋後3里存糧都有3週，真有特殊需求，會再想辦法協助。