Torrential rainfall brought by Tropical Storm Fung-Wong (鳳凰) battered the nation yesterday, killing one person and injuring four people.
According to casualty reports from the Central Emergency Operation Center, the victim was identified as a 50-year-old man surnamed Hsu (許) in Taitung County’s Beinan Township (卑南). He was reported to have been carried away by rising water in the Beinan River while cleaning a ditch in front of his house. Rescuers later found his body downstream.
A 62-year-old man surnamed Wang (王) suffered a fracture of his left leg and was treated at the Mackay Memorial Hospital (Taitung Branch), the center said.
Photo: EPA
A Chinese tourist surnamed Dai (戴), 52, was injured in his face after being hit by a flying billboard while traveling in Greater Tainan, the center said, adding that one male and one female, surnamed Cheng (鄭) and Liu (劉), were injured while traveling by motorycle in Wuchi (梧棲) in Greater Taichung.
More than 1,200 residents in Nantou, Chiayi, Taitung and Hualien counties, as well as Greater Taich-ung, Greater Tainan and Greater Kaohsiung, were evacuated in view of the potential disasters brought by the storm.
Meanwhile, Beinan Township preemptively closed the bridge at Jhihben (知本), which is known for its hot springs, due to surging water in the river.
Landslides were also reported in the Jhihben National Forest Recreational Area.
The Directorate-General of Highways also preemptively closed the Suhua Highway and other highways.
Because of the storm, 96 international flights were canceled and 12 were delayed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport by 4pm yesterday.
As the storm gradually moved from the east to the northern part of the nation, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) suspended the operation of the South Link Railway and the Alishan Forest Railway.
Express train services departing from Taipei to Hualien after 6:20pm were canceled, whereas those from Hualien to Taipei departing after 8:30pm were canceled.
According to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), the center of the storm briefly made landfall at Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) at 10am before moving north along the East Coast.
However, the storm’s movement differed from an earlier forecast, according to which the storm would have made landfall in the south and move across land on the west coast before exiting through the north coast.
The unexpected change in direction caused heavy rainfall in Pintung and Taitung counties. As of 6pm, Dawu Mountain (大武山) in Pintung has received 926mm of rain on its west side. Jinfong (金鋒) in Taitung had an accumulated rainfall of 671mm.
The bureau also raised the estimated rainfall in the mountainous areas in Taitung and Pintung counties to 900mm and 1,100mm respectively.
As of 6:15pm, the center of the storm was 30km southeast of Hualien. It was moving north at 22kph. The radius of the storm had reached 150km.
Bureau forecaster Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良) said the radius of the storm covered the entire nation as it continued moving north, adding that the storm’s influence will be felt until this morning.
He said that the bureau could lift the land alert for Taiwan proper this morning. The sea alert could be lifted this afternoon.
However, Chen said residents of central and southern Taiwan should still be on alert as a southwesterly wind following the storm could bring heavy rainfall to this region.
‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
DEROGATORY: WTO host Cameroon’s designation of Taiwan as a ‘province of China’ seriously undermines the nation’s status and rights as a WTO member, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Cameroon for listing Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China” in visa documents for an upcoming WTO ministerial conference, a move that led to Taiwan’s withdrawal from the event. The designation “seriously undermined” Taiwan’s status and rights as a WTO member, the ministry said in a statement. It is the first time since 2001 that Taiwan has declined to attend a WTO Ministerial Conference. The conference is scheduled to take place from Thursday to Sunday next week in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Taiwan had planned to send a delegation led by Minister Without Portfolio
RSS