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.
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