A magnitude 5 quake off eastern Taiwan did not damage the Wanli Creek barrier lake, which is good news for villages downstream in Hualien.

• The quake hit off Taiwan's east coast early in the morning, shaking Hualien at a moderate level.
• Aerial images taken the same morning show the natural dam wall still whole, with lake water spilling over steadily.
• Overflow is staying inside the river channel, so there is no flooding threat to nearby communities right now.
• Rain forecasts for the upstream catchment over the next day are close to zero, well below alert levels.

Outlook: Monitoring continues, but with no heavy rain expected and the dam holding, the lake should stay stable in the coming days.