Chiayi County yesterday continued relief efforts after a tropical depression dumped more than 500mm of rain on southern Taiwan over 24 hours.
Flooding was seen in 47 areas in 11 townships, including 22 schools, while 627 police officers have been deployed to conduct relief operations, Chiayi County Commissioner Helen Chang (張花冠) said.
The county government is closely monitoring 87 mudslide-prone streams and rivers that are under red alert, meaning that rainfall has exceeded the rivers’ abilities to carry water, she said.
Photo: CNA
More than 400,000 chickens and 4,000 pigs have drowned, according to initial estimates by the county government.
The livestock industry alone has lost NT$150 million (US$4.87 million), it said, adding that it expects the number to rise as floodwaters have not yet receded.
In a video conference with Chang, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) urged cooperation between the central government and the county, after heavy rains forced the evacuation of 156 residents and sent another 134 to shelters.
Photo: Lin I-chang, Taipei Times
As of 8am yesterday in Tainan, 942 people were evacuated as large parts of the city flooded, the local government said.
The downtown Anping Canal (安平運河) overflowed, flooding 21 of the city’s 37 districts, it said.
City government data showed that some districts were inundated with more than 600mm of rain over 24 hours, with Nansi District (楠西) receiving 700mm.
Photo: Copy by Lin I-chang, Taipei Times
The Ministry of National Defense said that 37,000 soldiers are on standby for rescue and relief operations in southern and central Taiwan.
The Marine Corps’ 47 AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicles have also been deployed, while another 5,000 aircraft and vehicles are ready, the ministry said.
Premier William Lai (賴清德) asked authorities at all levels to be ready to respond to emergencies and urged local governments to pay attention to environmental hygiene to prevent the spread of diseases such as dengue fever.
Yesterday morning, schools and offices were closed in Taichung, Tainan, Chiayi and Kaohsiung, as well as in Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou and Chiayi counties. Schools and offices were also closed in Pingtung County’s Majia (瑪家) and Shihzih (獅子) townships.
As the tropical depression moved slowly northward, it continued to dump heavy rain in central and southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said.
As of 3pm yesterday, areas south of Chiayi had accumulated 750mm to 850mm of rain since the system made landfall in Pingtung County on Thursday, it said.
The extremely heavy rainfall was caused by a rare combination of a strong tropical depression and moist southwesterly winds, the bureau said.
Additional reporting by Lin Yi-chang
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
RSS