One person was dead and another was reported missing in Greater Tainan in flooding caused by torrential rain, the Tainan City Fire Bureau said yesterday.
The victim was identified as a 75-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), whose body was found in Rende District (仁德) in the evening. The missing person was identified as a 48-year-old woman surnamed Hsieh (謝).
The floodwaters also forced the evacuation of about 24 elderly residents at the Wuja Education and Nursing Institute in Gueiren District (歸仁). Two industrial zones in the district were also severely damaged by the floods.
Photo: CNA
Flooding was also reported in Yongkang District (永康). Kun Shan University, which is in Yongkang, announced the cancellation of day classes today.
TV footage showed residents of the most-affected areas treading through knee-high floodwaters.
The Central Weather Bureau said the heavy rains began at 4am yesterday. Between 4am and 5am, the highest accumulation was reported in Yongkang, at 81.5mm.
Between 5am to 6am, as 61mm of rain fell over Yongkang, the hourly rate of rainfall in Sinshih District (新市) and Gueiren exceeded 77.5mm and 72mm respectively.
The top five areas of accumulated rainfall were all within Greater Tainan, with each having accumulated total rainfall exceeding 200mm.
By 7pm, the bureau’s observation station at the Matsu Temple in Gueiren had received 271.5mm, the highest in the country. This was followed by Ciding Borough (崎頂) in Longci District (龍崎), Shalun Borough (沙崙) in Gueiren, Yongkang Borough in Yongkang District and Hutoupi (虎頭埤) in Sinhua District (新化), with 252.5mm, 245.5mm, 228.5mm and 212mm respectively.
Heavy rainfall also caused damage in Greater Kaohsiung and forced the closure of Chongde Bridge in Tianliao District (田寮).
Access roads to four Aboriginal communities in the district were interrupted due to landslides and road damage on Highway 20.
The bureau said the rain was expected to ease by tomorrow, when a frontal system gradually moves south to the Bashi Channel. The chance of showers will remain high in eastern parts of the country after the frontal system’s departure. Cloudy to sunny weather is expected for the rest of the nation.
In related news, the Directorate-General of Highways said drivers should proceed with caution on the Suhua Highway, which was reopened to traffic yesterday.
The highway was closed due to damage caused by heavy rains on May 12.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique