Responding to Taiwan’s Typhoon Hagibis
Supporting evacuation shelters and flood-affected families in Hualien County
When Typhoon Hagibis made landfall in eastern Taiwan on September 23, 2025, torrential rains and landslides swept through Hualien County, destroying homes and infrastructure and forcing more than 5,000 people to flee. In the hardest-hit town of Guangfu, floodwaters and debris flows surged “like a tsunami,” leaving entire neighborhoods buried in mud.
A disaster victim shovels out mud and debris that has flowed into a building. The mountain-like piles of mud and debris show the extent of the damage (September 26, Guangfu Township, Hualien County).
Within 24 hours, Peace Winds Taiwan—Peace Winds’ local subsidiary—dispatched four coordinators to Hualien to assess needs and deliver initial assistance. On September 25, a team from ARROWS, Peace Winds’ flying medical search-and-rescue unit based in Japan, joined them on the ground to coordinate emergency relief with local authorities and volunteers.
“Overturned cars, reeds clinging to windows, mud covering the streets—it’s a very grey world,” reported one Peace Winds ARROWS coordinator in Guangfu.
A one-story building buried in mud (September 26, Guangfu Township, Hualien County)
In church-based shelters, many elderly evacuees were sleeping on narrow benches with little space to rest. Peace Winds installed refrigerators and freezers to store safe food and water and distributed soap and hygiene items to help prevent disease as cleaning efforts continued in high heat. With support from hundreds of volunteers and the Taiwanese military, recovery in Guangfu is progressing, yet the emotional and physical toll remains heavy—especially for older residents and those whose homes were destroyed.
Evacuees sleep on narrow benches where they cannot even turn over. With the evacuation period expected to be prolonged, there are proposals to secure more sleeping space (September 26, at an evacuation center in Guangfu Township, Hualien County).
Peace Winds continues to monitor the situation and coordinate with local officials to improve conditions in evacuation centers and support long-term recovery. As in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific, Peace Winds applies decades of disaster-response experience to ensure that assistance reaches those most in need—quickly, safely, and with respect for local communities.
Distributing hand soap and other hygiene products to prevent infection within evacuation centers (September 27, at an evacuation center in Guangfu Township, Hualien County)
How to Help
Peace Winds America supports emergency responses led by Peace Winds Japan and Peace Winds Taiwan in times of crisis. Your donation enables us to deliver lifesaving assistance and help communities recover with dignity.
👉 Donate to Peace Winds’ Emergency Response Here (Comment “Taiwan”)
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