Days of heavy rain have flooded parts of Kaohsiung, and the disaster has become the opening stage of the city's mayoral race — bad for flooded residents, farmers, and fishermen, and a test for both candidates.

• Kaohsiung has been hit by days of downpours, leaving several districts badly flooded.
• DPP candidate Lai Jui-lung toured flood-control projects with President Lai Ching-te and Mayor Chen Chi-mai, and pushed the central government for cash aid and interest-free loans for fishermen.
• KMT candidate Ko Chih-en went to check on flooded homes in Alian, but her car stalled in deep water and she had to climb out through a window and wade to the site.
• Farm losses are already covered by disaster cash aid and cheap loans; fishing losses are not yet.
• Both sides now say the city's drainage system needs a full overhaul, not just rescue work after each storm.

Outlook: Expect faster approval of aid for fishermen and more spending on pumps, flood basins, and higher embankments, with flood control set to dominate the Kaohsiung mayoral campaign.