The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday that torrential rain would affect northern and eastern Taiwan for several days starting on Monday because of the combined effect of two typhoons and the northeasterly monsoon.
Typhoon Parma was centered some 900km southeast of Taiwan as of 9pm yesterday, moving in a west-northwesterly direction at a speed of 19kph, the bureau said.
The typhoon could move over the north of the Philippines’ Luzon Island or could sweep through the Bashi Channel over the next few days, depending on atmospheric pressure changes over the Pacific, the meteorologists said.
Typhoon Melor is further away, moving in a west-northwesterly direction at 15kph.
“The typhoon [Melor] could take a northerly direction and sweep toward Japan if the Pacific high pressure system weakens further over the following several days,” the bureau said.
Whether either typhoon makes landfall in Taiwan will depend on changes in the Pacific high pressure system, meteorologists said, although they forecast heavy rain for northern and eastern parts of Taiwan because of the combined effect of the two storm systems and the seasonal northeasterly monsoon.
The bureau warned the public to stay alert to the weather.
Meanwhile, Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) said the government would take rainfall and mudslide forecasts into consideration, in addition to wind strength, when deciding whether to close schools and offices in the event of a serious typhoon.
When Typhoon Morakot hit southern Taiwan in early August, it triggered the worst flooding and mudslides in half a century. At least 700 people died, including around 400 people from Siaolin Village (小林), Kaohsiung County.
At a separate setting, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) urged people living in areas under threat from typhoons and flooding to comply with any evacuation order issued either by the central or local governments.
“If the central government issues the alert, local governments have to cooperate. If it is issued by local governments, the central government will respect the decision and provide all necessary assistance,” Wu said when fielding questions at the legislature from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Chieh (陳杰) on the government’s state of preparedness for Parma and Melor.
Wui said he would rather see people in mudslide-prone areas evacuated before a typhoon hits even if nothing happens, instead of risking disaster because people did not move.
“It’s like taking out an insurance policy against accidents, although the last thing one would want is to become a claimant,” he said.
Wu said the Ministry of National Defense would deploy troops to areas at risk ahead of typhoons so they could respond promptly to rescue needs.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
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