Typhoon cancelations
Veteran Japanese media personality Akio Yaita recently commented that there is no such thing as a typhoon day in Japan, because Japanese do not want to be seen as lazy. The country’s infrastructure is also well-built and public transportation always runs on time, so typhoons do not have much impact.
However, in Taiwan, many places do not have “mass rapid transit” systems, so many Taiwanese go to work by motorcycles. Many buildings are also old, so there is a danger of falling signs injuring passersby.
However, typhoon days should not be used as a “vote-buying tool” by politicians to curry favor with their voters. As Yaita questioned after experiencing several typhoon days with little wind and rain: Are such days off a good thing?
The strong winds and heavy rains brought by typhoons might cause damage to people and property. When the scale of a typhoon is projected to reach a certain level, it is certainly reasonable for the local city and county governments to announce the suspension of work and schools completely or conditionally. This kind of typhoon day seems to be legitimate and should not be abolished. However, the announcement of such days off should be strict and cautious in practice, so as to avoid announcing a day off when there is simply no need for one.
On Wednesday, Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan in northern Taiwan were not even included in the warning areas when Typhoon Krathon hit southern Taiwan, and yet the four cities seized the chance to have a typhoon day, too.
Was there any political intention to please the public? The announcement of a typhoon day should not be based on political considerations.
It should be based mainly on the expert analysis of weather forecasts, while taking into account the geographic locations of cities and counties, their own landforms, and their relevance to neighboring cities and counties.
Then, they would be able to make the correct determination through collective decision-making, so that people can feel at ease and justified about taking the day off.
Chi An-hsiu
Taipei
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