Heavy rain and strong winds brought by Tropical Storm Linfa caused damage and injuries in Taiwan yesterday, disrupting about 200 flights nationwide.
In Penghu, three Taoist monks were injured after being hit by falling canvas frames while chanting at a funeral.
About 500 households in Penghu’s Wangan Township (望安) suffered power shortages. Two motorcyclists in Tainan City were slightly injured after being hit by a falling coconut tree.
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
Strong winds were also reported in Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties, blowing down billboards and trees.
Continuous rainfall in Taoyuan caused landslides on some sections of Highway No. 7. Fallen rocks and mud were removed by 6pm.
There were no reports of deaths.
Sea transport services to Makung (馬公), Hsiaoliouchiu (小琉球), Matsu, Green Island (綠島), as well as the small three links in Kinmen and Mastu, were canceled.
People heading to outlying islands were advised to check with their airlines or sea transporters to see if services were available.
At 9:20pm, the center of the storm was located 10km south of Kinmen, with the storm’s radius topping 120km.
GRAPHIC: CNA
The storm was proceeding northeast at a speed of 24kph.
The Central Weather Bureau warned people in central, southern and southeastern Taiwan to beware of heavy or torrential rains brought by the southwest air stream that generally comes on the heels of a tropical storm or typhoon.
At press time, the bureau had lifted its land warning for Penghu, but maintained its sea warning for ships passing through the Taiwan Strait and waters off the northern parts of the country.
Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良), a section chief at the bureau, said some areas in southeastern Taiwan had already received more than 20mm of rain per hour.
“We saw from the satellite chart that some clouds have started moving north, meaning there might be regional showers or thundershowers,” Chen said. “The weather conditions nationwide in the next two days will not be stable.”
“If the storm keeps moving on the forecast track, it may lose strength,” he said. “However, we must not lower our guard as the storm could still bring strong winds and heavy rains and cause flash floods. Residents living in low-lying areas must remain vigilant,” Chen said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AGENCIES
‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
RSS