Woman Survives Typhoon Night After Slipping Down Seaside Slope

A woman in Hualien County spent the night precariously perched above the ocean after slipping 50 meters down a slope while Typhoon Maria swept over the island from yesterday to the early hours of this morning.

Ms Lee, 56, a taxi driver from New Taipei City, was heading home from Hualien on the Suhua Highway sometime after 5:00pm when she stopped to take pictures from the roadside. While taking pictures, Ms Lee accidentally dropped her handbag, climbed over the guardrail to retrieve it, and slipped an estimated 50 meters down the steep slope.

The Suhua Highway was closed to traffic overnight, and nobody heard Lee’s cries for help. After the road was reopened this morning, Lee was spotted at around 7:00am and the police were notified. A fire brigade team was dispatched to rescue Lee.

Suffering only scratches, bruises, and abrasions, Lee was able to climb the slope with the aid of a rope and harness after firefighters descended the slope to her position.

Firefighters said that fortunately the slope Lee had slipped down had a depression which stopped Lee from slipping further. Fortunately, the wind gusts generated by the typhoon were not too strong. Otherwise the consequences could have been disastrous.

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