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.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about 1,900 as
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
DEEP-STRIKE CAPABILITY: The scenario simulated a PLA drill that turned into an assault on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, with the launchers providing fire support Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The scenario simulated an attack on Penghu County, with HIMARS trucks immediately rolling into designated launch areas and firing barrages at the Wangan (望安) and Cimei (七美) islands, simulating the provision of fire support against invading forces. The HIMARS are supposed to “fire and leave,” which would significantly increase personnel and equipment survivability, a military official said. The drill simulated an exercise launched by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern
RSS