Tropical Storm Bilis pounded the country yesterday, forcing schools and offices to close and disrupting air and rail traffic.
The Central Weather Bureau forecast that Bilis will have completed its sweep across the country and be approximately 60km northwest of Hsinchu County by 8am this morning.
Bureau spokesman Wu De-rong (吳德榮) yesterday said the structure of Bilis was "loose" and it was therefore unlikely to increase in intensity as it made landfall.
PHOTO: WANG CHUN-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Because of its weak structure, the amount of rain and the storm's wind speed did not evidently increase after making landfall, Wu said.
However, the bureau warned of heavy rainfall today and tomorrow due to the lingering results of the storm and said that rainfall in mountainous southern areas may exceed 1,000mm.
The bureau also urged the public to take precautionary measures against heavy rain, landslides and floods, and warned against engaging in activities in coastal areas.
Flights from Taiwan to the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu were canceled yesterday and as of press time it was still unclear whether flights would resume today.
A total of 487 geological lines that are potential mudslide risks had been identified around the nation as Bilis swept across Taiwan, officials from the Central Disaster Response Center (CDRC) reported yesterday.
The center reported that as of 4pm, a total of 4,272 Chinese fishermen had been allowed to take temporary shelter at fishing ports around Taiwan.
Power outages had been reported in 25 places, all in Taitung County, while 27 mobile phone base stations islandwide had been damaged because of torrential rain.
An accident was reported in Ilan County in which a large truck spun out of control and hit a residential building, knocking down power lines. No injuries were reported.
In Taipei City yesterday, cars were allowed to park on yellow and red lines along the curb. However, because of the closing of flood gates in Taipei City and County, many cars were parked on overpasses, causing traffic jams.
Meanwhile, vegetable prices continued to climb, with the wholesale price of scallions (green onions) reaching roughly NT$215 (US$6.72) per kilogram from NT$150 on Wednesday.
The Council of Agriculture announced yesterday that the average retail price for vegetables was NT$35.15, a notable increase from NT$29.7 on Wednesday.
However, the council urged the public not to hoard vegetables at this time, because the effect of the typhoon would only be temporary.
Meanwhile the defense ministry announced that rehearsals for the annual Hankuang 22 military exercises scheduled for today in Ilan are to be postponed. The ministry said the decision was made for the safety of soldiers who will take part in the drill.
No casualties or injuries had been reported as of press time.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said he would punish government officials who did not do their best to help avoid potential disasters caused by Tropical Storm Bilis.
Su began his working day yesterday morning at 8am by arriving at the disaster-response headquarters that had been established to deal with the tropical storm.
Su also confirmed Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) decision to cut his trip to Japan by one day in order to return to Taipei to oversee the city's response to the tropical storm.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
also see stories:
RT-Mart, Carrefour Taiwan compete on vegetable prices
FTV wins the battle of the rock festivals
A subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company that has lost control of two critical ports on the Panama Canal said it is seeking US$2 billion of compensation in damages from Panama over its “illegal” takeover of the ports. Panama Ports Co, a unit of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings (長江和記實業), on Friday said in a statement that it is demanding the sum under international arbitration proceedings that it had already started. The Panamanian government last week seized control of the Balboa and Cristobal ports on each end of the Panama Canal, after the country’s Supreme Court declared earlier that a concession allowing
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
RSS