Typhoon Usagi came closest to Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is moving away from the nation in the direction of Hong Kong, but heavy rainfall is still expected to continue throughout today, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
As of 7:15pm, Typhoon Usagi had weakened slightly, with its center 140km southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻). The wind speed near its center was 48 meters per second in a radius of 280km and the typhoon was moving west-northwest at 19kph.
The bureau said that the land alert for Usagi may possibly be lifted as soon as this morning. The center of the typhoon is estimated to be about 510km west of Oluanpi by 5pm today.
Photo: CNA
However, the bureau warned that severe torrential rains may still hit areas including eastern Taiwan, Pintung County, Greater Kaohsiung and Nantou County, and torrential rains may fall in areas including northern Taiwan, Greater Taichung and Greater Tainan today.
People living in mountainous areas should especially watch out for landslides, falling rocks, mud flows or flash floods; and people living in low-lying areas should be prepared for flooding, it said.
It also warned that people should avoid heading to the ocean because waves and wind along the coastline are still very strong, and that strong wind gusts at level 10 on the Beaufort scale — 88kph to 103kph — are also likely to blow in the greater Taipei area.
Photo: Wang Hsiu-ting, Taipei Times
Seawater encroachment occurred at Jiupeng Village (九棚) in Pingtung County’s Manchou Township (滿州) yesterday morning, leading to the evacuation of about 20 households in the village.
As of 6:21pm yesterday, the Central Emergency Operation Center said a total of 3,075 people from 36 townships in seven counties have been evacuated from their homes, with 1,043 people settled at temporary shelters, due to the strong winds and heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Usagi.
In addition, the center said six people have been injured in the typhoon, 45,618 households experienced power outages and 5,210 households were without running water.
The Water Resources Agency said according to the Central Weather Bureau’s 24-hour rainfall forecast for between 8am yesterday and 8am today, the average rainfall would be between 150mm and 300mm in Yilan and Pintung counties, 200mm to 400mm in Hualien and Taitung counties, and 300mm to 500mm on the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) in Pingtung County, so people living in low-lying areas should take precautionary measures against flooding.
A total of 712 water pumps have already been distributed in various areas, while another 65 pumps are ready to be deployed depending on actual flooding situations, the agency said.
It added that it plans to release water at 10 major reservoirs across the nation according to the rainfall, so the public should not engage in water activities in downstream areas close to reservoirs.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS