The government will open disused military barracks that remain in a relatively good state of repair and are equipped with cooking facilities for the resettlement of displaced survivors in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said Sunday. Liu made the remarks while accompanying President Ma Ying-jeou on a visit to six soldiers injured during post-disaster rescue and relief operations who were receiving treatment at the Kaohsiung Military General Hospital in southern Taiwan. Responding to media inquiries about the progress of post-typhoon rehabilitation, Liu said the government is stepping up its efforts to resettle thousands of displaced survivors who are still being accommodated at various emergency placement centers. In addition to offering them condolence money and subsidies for day-to-day living, Liu said the government has accelerated its efforts to help them find new homes. As part of the drive, Liu went on, the Executive Yuan will ask the military to open suitable disused army barracks for resettlement of those who have been displaced by Morakot-triggered flooding and landslides. Several villages and townships in remote mountain areas of southern Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Chiayi counties, as well as in central Taiwan's Nantou County and the eastern county of Taitung, have borne the brunt of the devastation. Hundreds of residents in villages in those areas are believed to have been buried alive when mudslides came crashing down on their homes after heavy rain loosened the soil. The previous evening, Liu said he met with local government heads, including the chiefs of the hardest-hit villages and townships, to discuss measures for breaking bottlenecks in the rehabilitation work. 'We all agreed that survivor resettlement should get underway at full speed and that multiple measures should be employed simultaneously to meet the diverse demands of the different victims,' Liu said. Those whose homes were damaged can apply for housing subsidies from the government after their homes have been examined, Liu said, adding that each household will be entitled to an initial subsidy of NT$30,000. He also promised that examination of houses located in places accesible by vehicle will be completed within three days. For survivors from villages that were obliterated entirely by landslides and mudslides, such as Siaolin, located in the foothills of Alishan in a narrow valley in Kaohsiung County, they can apply for compensation directly without the need for prior examination, Liu said. Moreover, Liu continued, local governments in disaster zones will set up joint service stations in cooperation with private real estate or property brokerages to provide displaced victims with updated information about resettlement and counseling on leasing or purchasing houses. Typhoon Morakot, one of the worst natural disasters to batter Taiwan in half a century, had left more than 600 people dead or missing as of Friday, as the military continued to dig up bodies buried deep under rocks and mud. As of 1 p.m. that day, the Central Emergency Operation Center had confirmed 153 deaths since the typhoon hit, as well as listing 464 people missing and feared buried under landslides. 