The Central Weather Bureau has warned of strong winds brought by Typhoon Sinlaku in waters north, northeast and southeast of Taiwan today, as the medium-sized cyclone heads toward Taiwan with a high likelihood of hitting the nation tomorrow bringing with it heavy rains.
Sinlaku, whose name refers to a legendary goddess of Micronesia, would bring rains today in north and northeastern Taiwan, forecasters said, though the real threat to the land would only be felt tomorrow and Saturday.
Forecasters said chances were high that the eye of Sinlaku would land somewhere along the northeastern and eastern coast of Taiwan, but the exact location had not been ascertained.
While abundant rainfall was foreseen in the mountainous areas in northern and northeastern Taiwan, people along the eastern coast and in the central mountains should watch out for disasters caused by torrential rains, forecasters said.
As of 8pm last night, Sinlaku was centered around 720km northeast by east of Taipei, moving westward at 15km per hour, according to the CWB.
The typhoon had a radius of 300km and held maximum sustained winds of 145kmph.
The center of the typhoon was forecasted to be located around 370km northeast by east of Taipei by 8pm tonight.
With Sinlaku looming, Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday ordered the Ministry of the Interior to set up a Cabinet-level disaster command center.
Governments of the affected localities were requested to take proper precautions against possible damage caused by the typhoon and evacuate residents in flooding and mudslide danger zones.
Yu also instructed the Council of Agriculture to make sure that the Chinese fishermen living in fishing hostels are offered temporary shelter on land before the typhoon comes.
The Government Information Office was ordered to warn the public, through the mass media, against joining dangerous outdoor activities such as going mountain climbing and playing along the seashore.
Authorities yesterday contacted members of mountaineering teams still in the mountains, telling them to wrap up their expeditions immediately in order to avoid being stranded.
In Taipei City, which suffered severe damages owing to the heavy flooding brought by Ty-phoon Nari last year, sandbags were already piled up in flood-prone areas along the Keelung River yesterday.
Two major typhoons last year left the nation reeling.
Toraji hit Taiwan in late July leaving 103 people dead and 111 missing, while Nari attacked in mid-September, killing 94 people and leaving 10 missing.
To check if government agencies and schools will be closed, people are urged to call the Central Personnel Administration's service line at 020300166 or visit its Web site at www.cpa.gov.tw.
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