Four days of heavy rain dumped more than 500 millimeters on Taitung, flooding farmland and damaging farm roads — bad news for local growers, though the rain eased Wednesday.

• Rain started Friday afternoon and did not let up for four days, with some townships taking more than 600 millimeters.
• Fields are underwater, irrigation ditches and farm roads are broken, and pineapple fields in Luye are flooded.
• Farmers are being urged to drain fields and start repairs fast to limit losses.
• Sugar apple and pineapple-sugar-apple growers face a bigger problem: the rain browned flower parts needed for pollination, and forcing pollination now could ruin the fruit set.
• Vegetable growers are told to clear drainage and shore up trellises; fallen bean and roselle plants should be banked with soil rather than pulled upright.

Outlook: With the rain easing and some sun returning, the next week or two of cleanup and disease control will decide how much of the harvest survives.