On September 21, 1999 a massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake brought devastation the island of Taiwan.  Especially hard hit was central Taiwan, with the cities of Nantou and Taichung being at the epicenter. Buildings were toppled in the capital of Taipei, more than 2,400 deaths were reported, and hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless. The total cost of the clean up has been estimated at $3 billion. Taiwan's central bank has set up a $3.1 billion fund to provide low interest loans to earthquake victims. Offers of aid were received from the U.S., Japan, Russia, Singapore, and China.