Typhoon Morakot

Typhoon Morakot (颱風莫拉克) crossed Taiwan between August 7th and 9th, 2009, and remains the deadliest and wettest typhoon in the island’s recorded history. Nearly 700 people died in what became known as the August 8th Flood (八八水災), more than 400 of them in the landslide that buried Xiaolin Village (小林村) in Jiaxian, although the figures vary by source. Rainfall reached 3,060 millimeters at Alishan, where the Alishan Forest Railway was severed at Pingzhena and through service was not restored until 2024. Debris flows wrecked much of Namaxia, and floodwaters destroyed Rukai settlements such as New Kucapungane in Wutai, forcing the permanent relocation of numerous Indigenous communities.