Typhoon Rananim yesterday skirted Taiwan, bringing torrential rains to mountainous areas in the north. Forecasters said considerable rainfall might also occur in the nation's central and southern parts in the next few days.
Yesterday afternoon, the Central Weather Bureau lifted the typhoon warning for residents of Taiwan. However, residents of the outlying Matsu Islands remained under threat from Typhoon Rananim, which is expected to create unstable weather in China's coastal provinces today.
PHOTO: TONY YAO, LIBERTY TIMES
According to the bureau's statistics released at 6pm, monitoring stations in counties of Hsinchu, Miaoli and Taipei measured rainfall exceeding 200mm since Wednesday. Some airports were closed for a few hours yesterday morning due to the stormy weather. Road collapses triggerred by heavy rains were also reported in Taichung and Miaoli counties.
"In the following days, residents in coastal areas need to stay on the alert for seawater flowing backward," George Lu (呂國臣), a meteorologist at the Central Weather Bureau, said.
In eastern Taiwan, a foehn -- a hot, dry wind -- was experienced in Taitung County as temperature readings exceeded 39?C. Tawu township recorded 39.6?C while Taitung City measured 39.3?C.
The bureau issued heavy rain warnings for the nation's central and southern regions, reminding residents of potential landslides, mudflows, flooding and road collapses.
The Council of Agriculture yesterday encouraged residents in nine counties to be prepared for mudflows, and encouraged 3,415 residents living in vulnerable locations to leave.
According to the council's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, Tahu township in Miaoli County and six other townships are being closely monitored, becuase waterlogged hillsides could trigger mudflows at any time.
In Hoping Township, Taiching County, more than 200 residents of Sungho Village, an area prone to floods, were evacuated yesterday, officials said.
As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon was centered at 290km east northeast of Matsu, and was heading for China's east coast at speeds of about 17kph.
To ensure the safety of reservoirs, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) yesterday opened the flood gates at the Mingte Reservoir in Miaoli County and the Shihmen Dam in Taoyuan County.
Lee Tieh-min (李鐵民), the head of the WRA's North Water Resources Bureau, said yesterday that the Shihmen Dam was almost full because about 400mm of rain had fallen in nearby mountainous areas.
Yesterday, water was released at a rate of 600m3 every second. The reservoir and Feitsui Reservoir in Taipei County are major sources of water supply in northern Taiwan.
"Due to abundant rainfall brought by Rananim, we estimate that water supplies will remain sufficient in the upcoming months," Lee said.
By press time, the Cabinet's Naitonal Disaster Prevention and Protection Center received no reports of deaths or casualties caused by Rananim.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS