TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Earthquake relief donations in the month since a magnitude 7.2 temblor hit Taiwan's Hualien County reached an estimated total of NT$1.64 billion (US$50.76 million), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said on Saturday (May 4).

After the April 3 quake, the MOHW Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief launched the donation campaign, which closed one month later, at the end of Friday (May 3). The foundation was initially hopeful for a target sum of NT$1 billion (US$31 million).

Donations from overseas and from local convenience stores were still being tallied on Saturday,  so the final total will be even higher than the currently reported amount, the foundation said. The funds from donations will be used to help the victims with their medical and housing expenses, per CNA.

The disaster left 18 people dead, with a couple from Singapore still missing, and caused more than 1,000 injuries. Several buildings in the Hualien area partially collapsed due to the main quake and more than 1,300 aftershocks, forcing residents to be moved to tents or seek alternative housing.

Transportation, agriculture, and tourism in the region were also severely affected. The government has launched reconstruction programs and distributed subsidies to get the local economy back on track.