Satellite images released on Tuesday demonstrated just how powerful the floods and mudslides unleashed by Typhoon Morakot in southern Taiwan were.
One of the most stunning images obtained by National Central University’s Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research shows the widening of the Taimali River (太麻里溪) in Taitung County.
The images showed that the upper stream of the river, which is normally approximately 10m wide, has spread to more than 800m, due in part to the large volume of mud and debris washed down from the mountain.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Chang Chung-pai (張中白), an associate professor at the center, said the mudslides observed in the wake of Morakot have been the largest on record.
“Mudflows observed in the past usually filled about 10km of the river,” he said of the 31km-long river.
“But the entire length of the Taimali River was filled with mudflows during this typhoon,” Chang said.
He said both the toppled Jinshuai Hotel in Taitung’s Jhihben (知本) hotspring area and the collapsed Shuangyuan Bridge (雙園大橋) in Kaohsiung County were located on the outer edge of a river bend, where the water’s momentum and erosive potential are the strongest.
Comparing the satellite images of the bridge taken on Jan. 14 and on Tuesday, the center found that the bridge broke up over the west side of the Gaoping River (高屏溪), the point where the water was deeper and the flow faster.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS