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.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS