Tue, Sep 18, 2001 page1

• More than 30 dead as Nari hammers northern Taiwan

  TYPHOON TROUBLE The `weirdest storm' in the nation's history left a trail of death and destruction as the greater Taipei area suffered the worst flooding in five decades

  • By Ko Shu-ling / STAFF REPORTER
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  Typhoon Nari pounded northern Taiwan yesterday, leaving as many as 34 people dead and families searching for missing relatives.

  Across the nation, 94 people were reported injured as of press time last night.

  

  People are ferried by boats after being stranded at the intersection of Yungchi Road and Civic Boulevard yesterday, after rains brought by Typhoon Nari caused the worst flooding in the Taipei area in 50 years.

  PHOTO: LIAO RAY-SHANG, TAIPEI TIMES

  More than 800,000 Taipei area families were left in the dark after the typhoon cut electricity supplies. Another 300,000 were left without a dial tone.

  In addition to disrupted train and flight schedules, Taipei's mass rapid transit system was completely shut down due to heavy flooding at some stations along the Nankang-Panchiao line.

  Nari, the 16th typhoon of the year and the third to make landfall, was expected to leave Taiwan at around 2pm today, moving in a south-westerly direction from Chiayi County.

  The typhoon's heavy rainfall has resulted in the worst flooding in the greater Taipei area in 50 years.

  According to the National Fire Administration, waters in some parts of Hsihchih in Taipei County rose three stories high. In Keelung the flooding was one story high.

  Some low-lying areas in Taipei City were also flooded. They included the Neihu, Wenshan, Shihlin, Nankang, Hsinyi and Chungshan districts.

  As of midnight, in Taipei City 16 people were reported dead and 80 injured, according to the National Fire Administration. In Taipei County, 10 people were reported dead while eight people were reported dead in Keelung. Others were still missing.

  George Lu (呂國臣), a meteorologist at the Central Weather Bureau, said that Nari -- already dubbed the "weirdest storm in Taiwan's history" because of its unpredictable path -- broke many records in terms of its course, the duration of its stay and the amount of rainfall it delivered.

  "While most typhoons travel in either a parabolic curve or straight line, Typhoon Nari trailed on a bow-shaped course back and forth in the Pacific Ocean," Lu said.

  Lu added that it was because the typhoon traveled at such a slow speed -- 4kph to 6kph -- that a substantial amount of rainfall was recorded during its 40-hour visit.

  "While the previous highest daily amount of rainfall in Taipei City was recorded at 358mm, we saw over 400mm yesterday alone," Lu said. "And while most typhoons linger for between 11 and 12 hours after making landfall, Nari has stayed for over 19 hours now," he said at about 5pm yesterday.

  Inspecting one of the hardest hit areas in Hsichih, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) called on other areas spared by the typhoon to help in relief efforts.

  "We have mobilized the military to help in the relief efforts, and we definitely need more help from the public," Chang said.

  Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who accompanied Chang on an inspection tour of Neihu where four people drowned, said the city should restore public services as its first priority.

  "I also call on the public to be patient with the city's efforts in pumping out water, because we have only a limited number of water pumps," Ma said.

  Ma said the cause of yesterday's flooding was primarily the result of the extremely heavy rainfall rather than poor city infrastructure.

  "I know it's not fair to say so because there's still plenty of room for improvement in the city's sewage system, but it's true that the city has never seen so much rainfall in one day," Ma said.
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