CWB issues more storm warnings

Tropical storm Bopha continued to head toward Taiwan yesterday, prompting the government to issue alerts for heavy rains, flash floods and mudslides.

According to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB, 中央氣象局), if the storm continues on its current course, it will affect most areas of Taiwan during the weekend. The CWB issued a sea and land warning for the tropical storm on Friday night, saying that it could hit the northern and eastern parts of Taiwan. Yesterday, the bureau issued an additional warning to include the southern part of the island. "The southern part of Taiwan might also be hit by the tropical storm as it is following an irregular course," said Lin Hsiu-wen (林秀雯), chief forecaster at the CWB.

According to Lin, the storm reached seas off Taiwan yesterday morning and its fringe will begin to affect the land areas soon. "Heavy winds and torrential rain could hit those areas as the storm's fringe approaches," Lin said.

As of 10am yesterday, Bopha was situated in the open sea about 310km northeast of Ilan County, with sustained winds of 82kph. It was moving southwest at a speed of 17kph, the CWB said. Ilan is about 120km southeast of Taipei.

Premier Tang Fei (唐飛) yesterday toured the CWB, saying that all citizens need to be well prepared for the tropical storm. "People should cancel their sea activities during this weekend," Tang said. "It is possible to avoid tragedies if we are cautious enough."

Meanwhile, Bopha is expected to bring heavy rains to Taiwan throughout next week. People residing in low-lying areas should take precautions against flooding. "Preparations should be made for mudflows or landslides triggered by heavy rain," the CWB said yesterday.

Tropical storms and typhoons hit the region frequently in the summer. Typhoon Bilis slammed into the island on Aug. 23, killing 14 people and leaving seven missing. About 430 houses collapsed in the strong winds and floods. Bilis also caused an estimated US$129 million in agricultural damage.

According to the CWB, the influence of Bopha will be felt for the next week and the cloudy weather is likely to obscure the moon during the Chinese Moon Festival on Sept. 12.