Residents in mountainous areas in the northern and northeastern parts of the island have to be highly alert to natural disasters, such as landslides, mudflows and torrential rains, because Typhoon Meari might bring heavy rains in the next two days, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
The bureau yesterday issued a sea warning because of Meari's approach. At 5pm yesterday, Meari, with a 200km storm radius, was centered 410km east-northeast of Taipei. It is expected that the center will be 250km east-northeast of Taipei at 5pm today.
George Lu (呂國臣), a meteorologist at the bureau, said yesterday that Meari's tendency to slow down has been observed.
"It moves westward at only about 7kph. However, we suspect that it might move northward gradually," Lu said.
In northern Taiwan, it started pouring last night. Although Meari might weaken, heavy and torrential rains might occur in northern Taiwan, Lu said.
"In mountainous areas in the northern and northeastern parts of Taiwan, waterlogged land might be caused by heavy rains in the next two days," Lu said.
Lu said that low-lying coastal areas might be vulnerable to floods
Officials of the Water Resources Agency (WRA) said yesterday that water levels at major rivers in the north, such as Tamshui River and Keelung River, had been closely monitored.
Since spring tides will occur tomorrow, which is also the Mid-Autumn Festival, river water might increase dramatically because of heavy rains, officials said.
According to WRA director-general Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢), due to construction involving the treatment of the Keelung River, there are 47 breaches along the river. As of yesterday, 33 breaches have been sealed perfectly.
"The remaining breaches can be ordered to be closed at any time. In addition, emergency evacuation measures will be applied to residents living near these breaches when necessary," Chen said.
The breach at Paochangkeng River in particular, one of the Keelung River's tributaries that caused devastating floods in Hsichi, Taipei County, on Sept. 11, would be monitored closely, Chen said.
Meanwhile, the Council of Agriculture (COA) encouraged residents in mountainous areas in northern Taiwan to be well-prepared for mudflows. Officials of the council's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau said that emergency evacuation measures might be issued when cumulative rainfall reached alarming levels, which could trigger mudflows.
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