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Heavy rain threatens Hsinchu, Taoyuan
SOAKED:
Flooding was continuing to affect southern counties yesterday, but officials were turning their attention to Hsinchu and Taoyuan as the storm system moved north
By Jimmy Chuang
STAFF REPORTER, WITH AGENCIES
Friday, Jun 17, 2005, Page 1
Heavy rains will continue until tomorrow and are gradually moving north, and the "super downpours" that have flooded entire towns in the south of the country are now predicted for Hsinchu and Taoyuan counties, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Since last weekend, occasional heavy downpours have been recorded around the country. In the north, morning rainfalls have generally been replaced in the afternoons with drier conditions.
The death toll as a result of the flooding rose to 10, with one person missing and hundreds homeless .
The bureau said that although the rains are moving north, high levels of precipitation will continue to be recorded in Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties.
Peimen Township in Tainan County recorded yesterday's highest level of precipitation, 174mm, as of press time last night.
"It seems to everyone that we had less rain this morning [yesterday]. Actually, it rained heavily along the coast. It is just because the clouds were moving [and distributing precipitation along their path]," bureau forecaster Hsiao Chia-san (¿½®a´Ë) said.
Nearly 1m of rain has fallen in Tainan County in the past four days, and a heavy downpour yesterday morning forced the National Freeway Bureau to temporarily close a section of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway between Hsinying and Matou townships.
At press time the floodwaters at Taihsi Township in Yunlin County had reached the 1.5m mark. One thousand residents in Wentsai Village in Chiayi County's Tungshih Township were forced to abandon their homes because of the flooding.
The bureau is forecasting that the heavy rain will continue until tomorrow, but also that lighter rain will continue until Wednesday or Thursday next week.
On the brighter side, the heavy rains have helped to lower temperatures around the country to between 24oC and 30oC.
According to the Council of Agriculture, total losses from crop damage have now exceeded NT$1.16 billion (US$36.9 million) and are still rising. In addition, officials are urging the public to expect higher prices for vegetables for at least two weeks.
According to the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, flood warnings have been issued for 172 rivers and streams in the south of the country.
"When an overflow warning is issued, it is also a sign for potential mudslides, and residents along the river must be evacuated," bureau director Wu Hui-lung (§d½÷Às) said.
Also see story:
South, central Taiwan deluged
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