Typhoon Nari (2001)

Typhoon Nari, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Kiko, was an unusually long-lived Category 3 typhoon that took an erratic, two-week track near Taiwan. It was the 16th named typhoon in the 2001 Pacific typhoon season.

Impact
Striking two months after Taiwan's second deadliest typhoon, Toraji, Nari brought torrential rainfall to much of the island. Numerous landslides triggered by the storm's rain destroyed homes and buried people. At least 94 people died on the island and ten others were missing. Agricultural losses from Nari were estimated at NT$2.9 billion (US$84 million). In mountainous regions, more than 1,225 mm (48.2 in) of rain fell over two days, leading to many rivers overflowing their banks. On 17 September, some areas recorded a record-breaking 800 mm (31 in) during a single day, equivalent to four months of rain in Taiwan. At the height of the storm, an estimated 650,000 people were without power and 350,000 lost their water and telephone service. Most of the fatalities took place around the city of Taipei and nearby counties. The metro system in the city was severely damaged by floods and was not expected to be working for at least six months.

Aftermath
In response to the severe damage, the Taiwanese government deployed roughly 8,000 soldiers to assist in search-and-rescue operations across the island. Nearly 10,000 people in northern and central Taiwan were relocated to shelters across the region.

Already suffering from an economic downturn from the September 11 attacks in the United States, the economy of Taiwan was severely affected by Nari. Businesses were shut down across the island and the stock exchange was closed for several days. Moreover, after it reopened, there was significantly less stock activity as hundreds of thousands of residents were either unable to get to work or hampered by travel issues.