It was terrible. Though in the region I live (the South part) is Ok..but you could still hear things broken....Every one was shaken up..but after turning on the TV set..we found that rest of the country is much worse...

I have been working on a project on the east side of Taiwan trying to reduce the number of deaths and the amount of damage to infrastructure associated with typhoons and earthquakes in Taiwan. I expect that the maximum damage will be seen on the west and north sides of the island where the population density is highest and the cities are built on young sediments.

The central part of the island is a high mountain chain with low population density, such that the number of deaths will hopefully be relatively low there. However, it is likely that there will be massive infrastructure damage. The East Side of the island has a couple of large cities. However, the geology (hard, metamorphic rocks) will hopefully mean that the damage inflicted by the earthquake is low. My contact in Taroko (just north of Hualien on the East Coast) tells me that the damage there is quite light.

I'm am 18 years old girl living in Taiwan. I live in Taipei. When it happened, I was sleeping. I was shaken...so huge and so long...I just can sat on my bed...but there was no electricity..until now...(it's 5:00pm now) but I have heard that in Taichung, the situation is harder...the road rose 3 meters high...and the bridge also broke... and the dead were many...so that all they could do was lay the dead bodies on the road...

From the 10th floor of my apartment building it seemed that the very next sway would bring the whole thing crashing down. What made this earthquake different from others we regularly experience was the duration. The initial quake seemed to last for a full two or three minutes. I have lived in Taiwan for 13 years and this was a frightening reminder of just how powerful mother nature can be.

We're ready to help locate people in the Taiwan. We offered similar services during the Turkish and Greek quakes. We have already been in touch with a contact in Taiwan. She says that international communications are working, although she received a few messages on ICQ from people looking for their relatives. Email contact: david@iecnc.org

Zach and Sara Harper have called home and they are OK.!!

Keeping my fingers crossed for my other friends in Puli and Taichung.

I am very worried about my father Chung Chi Pan who lives in section 1,Chung Cheng Road, Kuang Hsing Villhee,Nantou Hsien,Taiwan.He ran the Chinese herb store there.And my brother and sister named Shu Lan Pan and Tseng Shu Pan.If any one has any information about them please contact me Thank You Min Pan

Can anyone tell me the status of Taoyuan, Taiwan?

To Jackson, Fline, Ariel and Andy,

My heart and prayers are always with you as you wait for the hopefully good news regarding your grandma, uncles and their families in Puli.

Chin

Like to get info in Gi_Gi, Nantou. I got relative working for something like animal protection center in Gi_Gi. Last name Lai, 41 yrs with 9 yr girl. I can not post in chinese, the place she works for is "Bou U" center (1st character means protection, U is the 2nd chinese char in education, got it?)

Looking for info. on my cousin Todd Kitchka or news on the area. He was living in an apartment in Taipei near the university.

My brother Sean Jones has just phoned he is safe and well. I may be speaking to him soon so i'll pass on any information that I can. Sean is living in Taichung city and from the little information I got, it does not seem that affected, he was living in a tall building on the 10th floor, and the building was barely damaged.
My thoughts and prayers are with all those that are still waiting for news.
Vicky

Puli/Taichung information:

Zach and Sara Harper called home previous to (and during) Wednesday's after shocks. They were doing OK. So is Zach's girlfriend and Sara's boyfriend. Paul Davis, a well-known English teacher in Taichung is also OK. If you know these people and need to relay a message please contact:

jmorgan@implosion.org

I am keeping my fingers crossed for my other friends in Puli and Taichung. I lived in one a couple of Puli's tallest buildings for most of last year. I always found them rather flimsy. If you have/need info about foreigners in Puli contact me just in case I can help.

i got thru via phone to my cousin in taipei earlier this afternoon ~6pm California time. She said that taipei is pretty much un-harm except for that hotel by the train station. I think taipei has 40% power at that time. I got thru in one try.

Looking for news of Tsaotun, near Nantou. Two Aussie sistas Maya and Tanya Krikke are staying there. The building is: 119 Lane Taiping Road Section 2 Tsaotun Any word would be greatly appreciated and passed on to relatives and friends at Griffith Uni.