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
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached