Leaving at least two people dead in its wake, Typhoon Mindulle was expected to leave Taiwan last night, dumping more rain onto the island's central and southern regions, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
The rainfall brought by Mindulle has temporarily relieved the thirst of southern Taiwan, which has suffered a drought during the past months.
At least two people were killed during the storm as of press time last night. The pair was killed in a landslide on a road in Alishan.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Hualien resident Lee Cheng-nan (
The storm, which packed winds of 90kph and gusts of up to 120kph as it swept past the nation, began dumping rain yesterday morning. Streets in Taipei County's Sanchung City and Pingtung's Dong-kong District were flooded.
Typhoon Mindulle brought 6.78cm of rainfall to Hualien County and 5.05cm to Taitung County.
The south also received around 3cm to 4cm rainfall. Water levels at Tsengwen Reservoir in Tainan County climbed higher, with 1.87cm of rainfall.
The storm also disrupted the eastern region's electric grid, leaving 53,206 households in Hualien and 12,063 households in Taitung without power. A total of 70,823 households nationwide were affected by blackouts.
Domestic air and sea traffic were also at a standstill yesterday. Airports in Taitung, Green Island, Lanyu and Hengchun were shut down, while all ferry services between Taiwan and its islets were interrupted. The Taiwan Railway Administration resumed operation after delaying trains on the Taipei-Hualien line yesterday afternoon.
The weather bureau said it could lift the land warning by 11:30pm last night and might issue an alert for heavy rain brought by the typhoon's wake.
Typhoon Mindulle affected domestic air transportation, causing a temporary closure of Taipei's Sungshan Airport yesterday morning.
Domestic flights resumed normal operations around 3pm yesterday, while international flight schedules were unaffected, according to air carriers.
Business activity across Taiwan remained normal yesterday, while retailers saw marked growth in the sale of household necessities, such as instant noodles.
Brenda Yen (
The sales volume for bottled water and batteries also rose around 50 percent, she added.
Stockpiling of foods prior to a typhoon's arrival was not as prevalent as it has been in past years, but fears of shortages due to damaged crops may trigger retailers to raise prices of produce over the next few days.
Kaohsiung and Hualien counties reported agricultural losses at NT$10 million and NT$200 million, respectively, the Central News Agency said yesterday, citing estimates by county governments.
additional reporting by Jackie Lin
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique