After powerful Typhoon Soudelor had struck Taiwan, the joint emergency relief team from Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD) and Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) continued search and rescue activities on August 9.

The team consisting of ten staff members and two search and rescue dogs searched for the missing man aged 62 in the village located in southern Taipei. Based on the information from the local fire department, the team made a thorough search in the mountainous area of Wulai District in the afternoon.

Since the only access route to Wulai District has been severed by a landslide, the team walked a mountain path for about an hour to reach the affected area. Even the local police and fire departments have not thoroughly searched the area, which has been isolated without water and electricity.

In the affected area, massive damages have been observed such as a destroyed house by sands, stones and trees. The team has not found the missing yet, though it strove to search in a poor ground condition.

Wulai District is well-known for hot springs and has dozens of hot-spring accommodations, yet most of them have been damaged by landslides, and it appears to require a long time to resume normal operations.

As the search and rescue team arrived in Taiwan two days before the typhoon hit and closely coordinated with local stakeholders, A-PAD could promptly respond to the typhoon damages. These preparation and pre-arrangement are necessary to save more lives in less time.

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