A land alert was issued for Typhoon Meranti yesterday morning, just hours after the Central Weather Bureau issued a sea alert late on Monday night, as forecasters urged the public not to underestimate the damage the storm could cause even though the typhoon’s eye is unlikely to make landfall in Taiwan.
The land alert applies to residents of Taitung County, including Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島), Hualien, Pingtung, Nantou, Yunlin, Changhua and Penghu counties and Kaohsiung, Tainan, Chiayi and Taichung.
As of 8:55pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 270km southeast of Pingtung’s Hengchun Township (恆春), moving west at 24kph.
Photo: CNA
The Taitung County Government yesterday afternoon canceled school and work on Orchid Island and said that all schools and offices in the county would be closed today.
At press time last night, Pingtung, Hualien, Chiayi and Penghu counties and Kaohsiung had announced a typhoon day for today, canceling school and work.
Bureau forecaster Luo Ya-ying (羅雅尹) said Meranti is likely to maintain its strength before it nears southern Taiwan.
Photo: Huang Shu-li, Taipei Times
Meranti’s strength might weaken slightly after its circumference hits land and it enters the Taiwan Strait, but people in Taitung and on the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) should be on alert for strong winds and high waves and avoid outdoor activities and coastal areas, she said.
Torrential rain is forecast for today in Hualien, Taitung and Pingtung counties, as well as mountainous areas of Kaohsiung and Yilan County, while the chances of extreme torrential rain are high in mountainous areas in Hualien and Taitung, she said.
It is estimated that rainfall in the mountains in Pingtung, Taitung and Hualien could total 500mm to 800mm, she added.
Photo: Huang Shu-li, Taipei Times
Daniel Wu (吳德榮), the bureau’s former weather center director, said Taiwan might be able to avoid destructive winds if Meranti’s eye skids through the Bashi Channel and does not make landfall.
Based on the bureau’s projected path for Meranti, Wu said the Hengchun Peninsula and Taitung are expected to be affected the most, as the former would be near the center of the typhoon and the latter is in the windward area.
Hualien and Taitung could see some damage, he said.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
The areas that are likely to be least affected by the typhoon are those in central Taiwan, as they are protected by the Central Mountain Range and are far from the center of the typhoon, Wu said.
People in these areas should beware of showers and occasional gusts as well, he said.
The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said East Coast Line, South Link Line, Pingtung Line and Alishan Railway Line trains today would be canceled.
Trains between New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林) and Hualien are to continue operations.
Trains on the West Coast Line are to continue normal operations until 12pm today, the TRA said, adding that passengers for trains after noontime should check for its latest updates.
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (台灣高鐵) said that some of its trains leaving after 12pm might be delayed or canceled, particularly those between Tainan and Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營).
Mandarin Airlines (華信航空) has canceled all its domestic flights for today, while TransAsia Airways Corp (復興航空) canceled most of its domestic flights, except for those between Taipei and Hualien.
Mandarin and China Airlines (CAL, 中華航空) said that some flights leaving from southern Taiwan today or tomorrow might be canceled, postponed or take off earlier than scheduled.
They said travelers should check CAL’s Web site (www.china-airlines.com/tw/zh/discover/news/travel-advisory/typhoon-notice) or call (02) 2412-9000 or (02) 2412-8008 for further information.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and