Train services were suspended, flights disrupted, and highways and schools closed yesterday as the nation braced for its first typhoon of the year.
Typhoon Nesat — which strengthened into a moderate storm on Friday — was already bringing crashing waves and strong winds to the east coast earlier yesterday.
Nesat’s center made landfall at 7:10pm at Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳), the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said, forecasting that the eye of the storm would leave the nation early this morning.
As of 8pm, Nesat had maximum sustained winds of 137kph, with gusts reaching 173kph, it added.
The bureau warned of extreme torrential rain from last night to today in Kaohsiung, as well as Hualien and Pingtung counties.
The bureau also issued sea and land warnings for Tropical Storm Haitang, which formed earlier yesterday and was moving toward Taiwan.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
At 6pm, Haitang was centered 540km southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northeast at 27kph.
All cities and counties on Taiwan proper and outlying Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties should brace for strong winds and heavy rain, as the nation was forecast to be blanketed by the typhoon from last night to this morning, the bureau said.
The typhoon has caused several highway closures, while most trains running along the east coast were also suspended yesterday.
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Taipei Times
Air travel was also affected, with the schedules of domestic and international flights disrupted late yesterday and this morning.
As of 10am yesterday, 167 domestic flights had been canceled, while 91 international flights had been canceled and 23 were postponed, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said.
Taoyuan International Airport Corp (桃園國際機場公司), which operates Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, urged travelers to verify the status of their flights with their airline before departing for the airport.
Photo: CNA, provided by the Hualien-Taitung Defense Command
Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as some areas in Pingtung, suspended school and closed offices yesterday afternoon.
As of press time last night, all cities and counties — except Kinmen — had canceled school and work for today.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday directed authorities responsible for disaster prevention and rescue to stay vigilant for possible effects to lives and property from Nesat.
Speaking during a visit to the Central Emergency Operation Center, Tsai said that the center should maintain close contact and communication with local governments and rescue personnel on the front lines to coordinate resources efficiently to minimize potential damage.
Local governments should facilitate the publication of weather-related postponement and cancelation information, and all disaster prevention information must also be released to the public immediately, she said.
As eastern areas are home to many Aboriginal residents, the president instructed the Council of Indigenous Peoples to pay extra attention to disaster prevention in their communities.
Beyond preparations at emergency operations centers, Ministry of Economic Affairs departments including the Export Processing Zone Administration and the Water Resources Agency have activated their own disaster prevention programs.
The Water Resources Agency said that 950 mobile water pumps have been distributed to local governments nationwide in preparation for possible flooding resulting from torrential rains.
In the farming sector, vegetable and fruit growers nationwide have been urged to take precautions to avoid damage from the storm, while oyster farmers in coastal areas of Chiayi County were advised to secure their offshore facilities.
More than 36,000 soldiers have also been placed on standby to help with disaster relief.
Additional reporting by AFP
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from