Typhoon Leaves 117 Dead or Missing

Typhoon Leaves 117 Dead or Missing

The powerful typhoon which battered the country during the Chuseok holidays is feared to have killed as many as 117 people and caused 1.36 trillion won ($1.16 billion) in property damage, officials said on Monday (Sept. 15).

A total of 91 people were confirmed dead and 26 missing due to Typhoon Maemi as of Monday afternoon, according to the National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters (NDPCH).

The most powerful typhoon to hit the country flattened hundreds of buildings and damaged thousands of hectares of farmland.

The NDPCH predicted the official human loss will not increase significantly but expected the amount of property damage to further climb as time progresses.

Nearly 9,000 lost there homes, while hundreds of households continue to suffer from blackouts as officials scramble to restore the nation¡¯s power lines severed in the strong winds.

The typhoon also damaged 873 roads, 30 bridges, wrecked 489 vessels and 15,158 hectares of allotments, officials said. Telecommunications authorities said they had finished repairing the majority of relay stations affected by strong winds or flooding.

Most of the highways and roads damaged by floods were also repaired, although it will take up to a month for some major expressways to return to normal.

To prepare for the spread of contagious diseases common in disaster-stricken areas, officials sent in more than 100 medical staff to conduct quarantine procedures, while more than 50,000 people were deployed to help in clean-up operations.

The government said it will hold a Cabinet meeting Tuesday to decide on designating the typhoon-hit areas as special disaster zones, but the designation is likely to take place later this month after gathering more information on the extent of the damage.

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