Record-breaking rain swamped southern Taiwan, and Tainan is now asking the central government for billions to fix its drainage — bad news for flood-prone districts, but a sign help may be coming.

• A low-pressure system dumped more than 500mm of rain on Tainan's Yongkang district in 24 hours, beyond a once-in-a-century standard.
• The city wants NT$8.5 billion from the central government for 39 drainage projects across 18 districts.
• Sixty-one pumping stations ran during the storm, moving 60 million tons of water, with 34 mobile pumps rushed in from the central government.
• Flood-prone Rende district gets short-term fixes first: raising riverbanks along the Sanye River and adding water-holding space under a nearby road.
• Kunshan University will turn its parking lot and tennis courts into an underground flood basin to protect a chronic problem area in Yongkang.

Outlook: Funding approval is the next hurdle, with emergency riverbank work expected to start before the next typhoon season.