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.
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
‘MISGUIDED EDICT’: Two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s compliance with the “one China” principle as it banned people from entering or transiting in the African nation using Taiwanese passports or other Taiwanese travel documents. The International Air Transport Association’s system shows that Taiwanese passport holders cannot enter Somalia or transit there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) protested the move and warned Taiwanese against traveling to Somalia or Somaliland
RSS