Taiwan Typhoon

My sentiments too.  But it appears that my info sources were exagerrated.  The final death toll should be closer to 1000 instead of thousands and most of the trapped people have been rescued.  However, the loss of life is still high and the damage has been extensive.  Heard reports from an Alishan farmer that said his farm is ok, but the roads down the mountain have all washed away.  Other reports have said that the track for the famous Alishan railway are unstable.  Like the cable car (suspended since last year) that goes up to the Tieguanyin growing area around Maokong, visits to Alishan may have gotten a lot harder.

Reports from friends in the area seem to suggest that the recovery effort is well underway, but what cannot be recovered are the lives lost and the properties/farms/soil that have been washed away. Too many stories of people who have lived in their homes for decades losing everything.

In addition to Will's link, almost any Taiwanese group or cultural center will accept donations as well.  Local chapters of the Taiwanese American Professional Society (TAPS) will almost certainly be doing fundraisers as well.

I heard Ali Shan and Nan Tou suffered a lot from the hurricane. I guess the price of lower-end Taiwanese tea (or so called Taiwanese tea, including "Taiwanese style" tea from mainland China) will not be impacted much. But I guess higher end tea prices will be impacted. Some say Ali Shan autumn harvest will be reduced by 10% and tea price will be increased by 10%. It won't be too bad for tea buyers if it's only 10%. But I haven't seen much report about long-term impacts. If some tea plantations are destroyed, it may take at least 5 years to recover.