Typhoon Fung-wong was approaching Taiwan from the east and was expected to make landfall within the next 24 to 48 hours, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday, after issuing a sea alert at midday.
As of 8:30pm, Fung-wong was 540km east of Ouluanbi (鵝鑾鼻), Pingtung County, moving west at a speed of 16kph.
The bureau said that if Fung-wong stayed on its present course, the eye would hit central Taiwan late tomorrow morning.
SOURCE: CENTRAL WEATHER BUREAU
“Rain is expected to hit the entire country, with the east being affected first,” bureau forecaster Douglas Hsiao (蕭家森) said.
Clearer figures on precipitation would only become available after the typhoon gets closer, he said.
“Contrary to what many people think, what is most important in a tropical storm or typhoon alert isn’t whether it will make landfall, but how severe its impact on the nation will be,” he said.
The Council of Agriculture’s Fisheries Agency also issued an alert to fishermen yesterday, urging them to cease fishing activities starting in the afternoon.
The Department of Health said that six regional emergency operation centers around the county had been established to respond to any crisis situation, adding that medical supplies for chronic patients in remote areas were being distributed to ensure they could still get what they need during the storm.
Fung-wong comes on the heels of Typhoon Kalmaegi, which hit Taiwan on July 18, triggered flash floods in central Taiwan and killed 19 people.
A marketing company manager said yesterday that people in Taipei had few choices of vegetables following the torrential rains brought by Kalmaegi, adding that root crops and cabbages grown on high-altitude farms were now dominating the vegetable market.
Chen Chia-nan, a director at the Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co, said that since the passage of Kalmaegi, the daily supply of vegetables had declined by about 200 tonnes. Farmlands had yet to recover from the floods, he said.
With Typhoon Fong-wong approaching, vegetable supplies in Taipei were not expected to recover anytime soon, Chen said, adding that customers should buy root crops or frozen vegetables instead.
Also See: Ma tells Cabinet to speed up flood-prevention work
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNDER WAY: The contract for advanced sensor systems would be fulfilled in Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2031, the Pentagon said Lockheed Martin has been given a contract involving foreign military sales to Taiwan to meet what Washington calls “an urgent operational need” of Taiwan’s air force, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The contract has a ceiling value of US$328.5 million, with US$157.3 million in foreign military sales funds obligated at the time of award, the Pentagon said in a statement. “This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of 55 Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor Pods, processors, pod containers and processor containers required to meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan air force,” it said. The contract’s work would be
RSS