The eye of Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall in Taitung County's Chenggong Township (成功) at 1:40pm, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as strong winds and heavy rains from the typhoon caused power outages, flooding and mudslides across the country, with 27 injuries and two tourists missing.
The typhoon — the first in Taiwan's history to make landfall after mid-October — was moving in a north-northwesterly direction at 21kph when it hit land, CWA data showed.
The fast-moving storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 184kph, with gusts of up to 227kph, CWA data showed.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
The CWA said it had issued heavy to extremely torrential rain warnings covering northern, eastern and southern Taiwan, with the heaviest rainfall totals expected in mountainous areas of Yilan and Hualien counties.
All of Taiwan was also under a strong wind alert, with wind gusts of level 14 or above on the Beaufort Scale (149kph to 165kph) expected in Taitung, Hualien and Penghu counties, the CWA said.
As of 7am today, the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) reported 27 injuries resulting from the typhoon, but no deaths.
However, the center said it had not yet established contact with two Czech Republic tourists who it confirmed had entered Taroko National Park.
No other people have been reported missing.
The CEOC added that 27 visitors at Taichung's Wuling Farm have been asked to stay put, as descending the mountain during the typhoon could be dangerous.
Food, water and lodging have been provided, the center said, adding that tourists would be able to leave when conditions are considered safe.
A total of 26 people, including two foreigners, staying at Taichung's Lishan Guesthouse — atop the city's Li Mountain (梨山) — have also been asked to remain on the mountain.
Twenty-four visitors who were all part of the same tour group initially tried to leave the mountain at 7am, but were forced to turn back.
The CEOC said residents continued to be evacuated today in New Taipei City, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Nantou, Pingtung, Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties.
As of 8am, 8,600 people had been relocated and 71 emergency shelters had been set up, the CEOC said, adding that 1,321 people are currently sheltering there.
Power outages, flooding and mudslides have taken place across the country, especially in the east.
In Hualien County's Yuli (玉里) and Jhuosi (卓溪) townships, rainfall exceeded 300mm within 24 hours, triggering mudslides that obstructed roads and damaged infrastructure.
Local authorities reported rivers overflowing, which washed away a bridge in Hualien's Fuli Township (富里).
Roads in Yuli Township were also blocked by fallen trees, with landslides and muddy waters flooding homes, parks and essential roadways.
Chiang Tung-cheng (江東成), head of Fuli Township, reminded residents in hazardous areas who have been evacuated to follow the authorities' instructions and avoid returning on their own.
About 96,000 households were without power as of 1pm, including more than 23,000 in Taitung County and more than 14,000 each in Hualien County, New Taipei City and Chiayi County, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) said.
The CWA said it expects the eye of the storm to pull away from the west coast of Taiwan sometime overnight, followed by the storm's outer rim tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, President William Lai (賴清德) inspected the CEOC and thanked the public and private sector for their collaboration in emergency response.
Lai said swift reconstruction is a priority, with immediate aid being planned to support the agriculture sector and help communities return to normal.
‘UNITED FRONT’: The married couple allegedly produced talk show videos for platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to influence Taiwan’s politics A husband and wife affiliated with the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) were indicted yesterday for allegedly receiving NT$74 million (US$2.32 million) from China to make radio and digital media propaganda to promote the Chinese government’s political agenda and influence the outcome of Taiwan’s elections. Chang Meng-chung (張孟崇) and his wife, Hung Wen-ting (洪文婷), allegedly received a total of NT$74 million from China between 2021 and last year to promote candidates favored by Beijing, contravening the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) and election laws, the Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office said. The couple acted as Beijing’s propaganda mouthpiece by disparaging Hong Kong democracy activists
EARLY ARRIVALS: The first sets of HIMARS purchased from the US arrived ahead of their scheduled delivery, with troops already training on the platforms, a source said The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said it spotted 35 Chinese military aircraft, including fighters and bombers, flying to the south of Taiwan proper on the way to exercises in the Pacific, a second consecutive day it has reported such activities. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not respond to a request for comment on the missions, reported just days before tomorrow’s US presidential election. The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Its arms sales to Taipei include a US$2 billion missile system announced last month. The MND said that from 9am yesterday,
A Control Yuan member yesterday said he would initiate an investigation into why the number of foreign nationals injured or killed in traffic incidents has nearly doubled in the past few years, and whether government agencies’ mechanisms were ineffective in ensuring road safety. Control Yuan member Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) said in a news release that Taiwan has been described as a “living hell for pedestrians” and traffic safety has become an important national security issue. According to a National Audit Office report released last year, more than 780,000 foreign nationals were legally residing in Taiwan in 2019, which grew to more than
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’: Donald Trump vowed to reward his supporters, while President William Lai said he was confident the Taiwan-US partnership would continue Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the US early yesterday morning, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. As of press time last night, The Associated Press had Trump on 277 electoral college votes to 224 for US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee, with Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Michigan and Nevada yet to finalize results. He had 71,289,216 votes nationwide, or 51 percent, while Harris had 66,360,324 (47.5 percent). “We’ve been through so