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Typhoon's winds, rain pound nation

A resident of Lane 394 on Fuyuan St. in Taipei's Songshan District walks over pieces of fallen iron sheets blown down from houses by Typhoon Haitang's strong winds early yesterday. PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES

Typhoon Haitang tore across Taiwan yesterday, bringing powerful winds and torrential rain, and shutting down schools, workplaces, airports and railroads across the country. Haitang was the strongest typhoon to hit the country in five years.

As of press time yesterday, one person -- a 65-year-old man hit by a falling rock in Taichung County -- was confirmed dead, according to the government's Central Disaster Prevention and Relief Center. Twenty-five injuries were reported, with many hurt after being hit by fallen trees or billboards, or cut by broken window panes.

Two women also drowned -- one at Taipei's Yucheng water pumping station, and the other in Taoyuan -- but the center's officials had not yet established whether the two deaths were related to the typhoon. In Ilan, a car smashed into the sea in heavy rain and police were searching for the driver.

Blackouts caused by the storm affected 1.36 million households and 12,000 households experienced water restrictions.

Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday that people have to be prepared for more torrential rain in the coming days.

"All local governments must remain on the alert. We have to prevent potential mudflows and landslides from causing damage to people," Hsieh said at a central disaster prevention meeting yesterday.

The center of Typhoon Haitang yesterday made landfall at Tungao Township (東澳), Ilan County in the afternoon and was expected to cross the west coast into the Taiwan Strait early today.

At 6pm yesterday, Haitang was packing maximum winds of 162kph, down from a previous 184kph, and gusts of up to 198kph, weaker than the earlier 227kph, the Central Weather Bureau said.

If the typhoon stays on its present course, it will hit China's southeastern coast this afternoon.

Schools and workplaces were closed yesterday in all of the nation's cities and counties. All trains and domestic flights were cancelled. About 90 percent of international flights were also cancelled.

Forecasters said yesterday that ships sailing in the Taiwan Strait and residents of Kinmen and Matsu should remain on the alert because strong winds and heavy rains are moving across the Strait toward southern China. Local governments in Kinmen, Matsu and Yunlin County yesterday announced that schools and workplaces would remain closed today.

Hsieh yesterday morning inspected the Yuanshanzih flood diversion tunnel in Keelung. At 8am yesterday, the tunnel began to operate to divert water from the Keeling River to the northeastern coast of the island. Due to the operation, several communities in Sijhih City (汐止) were spared severe flooding.

"However, we still have make the construction perfect by mending 11 small water gaps," Hsieh said.

Central Weather Bureau statistics showed that Ilan County was especially hard hit, with cumulative rainfall exceeding 1,000mm in many areas. As of press time, Taipingshan (太平山) in Tatung Township (大同), Ilan, had rainfall of 1,012.5mm. In the south, Pingtung County's Sandimen Township (三地門鄉) experienced rainfall of 451.1mm.

After analyzing up-to-date rainfall statistics, the Council of Agriculture yesterday issued mudflow and landslide warnings and listed 185 rivers across the country in "critical danger" of flooding.

In Taipei City, howling winds uprooted trees and street signs. Billboards lay toppled on the roads, and sandbags lined the doors of shops and homes. Household waste collection service was unavailable yesterday because all garbage trucks were being used to collect leaves and tree branches that had fallen on streets.

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