People in vulnerable areas in the center and south of the country must stay on alert for heavy rain, strong gusts and lightning strikes until Friday, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
The death toll from Tropical Storm Mindulle rose yesterday to 26, with 16 injured and 13 people still missing. According to the central government's July 2 Flood Disaster Relief Center, 2,177 people have been rescued as of yesterday afternoon.
According to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, 78 out of 122 heavily damaged segments of major roads in central and southern Taiwan have been repaired.
PHOTO: CHU CHUN-YEN, TAIPEI TIMES
It said that it would spend more than NT$2 billion to rebuild and repair damaged roads.
Meanwhile, stricken sections of Taichung County are expected to need more than NT$1.8 billion to be rebuilt.
Around 1,600 county residents are staying in public shelters, while hundreds of residents remain cut off in mountainous areas.
"We will do our best to request assistance from the central government," Taichung County Commissioner Huang Chung-sheng (
On Sunday, a garbage disposal crisis emerged in Taichung County when rising water levels on the Tachia River destroyed a 600m embankment in front of the Houli Incinerator, then washing away 300m of road leading to the entrance.
Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) head Chang Juu-en (張祖恩) inspected the incinerator on Monday. According to the EPA, the incinerator resumed normal operations yesterday. Unwanted materials and ruined furniture were delivered to the incinerator for disposal.
The Council of Agriculture yesterday updated losses in the agricultural sector. At least NT$5.75 billion in crop and infrastructure losses was reported.
Council Chairman Lee Ching-lung (
"Mountainous areas in Taiwan have been exploited for decades. Now we are paying the price," Lee said.
Lee said that ROCSAT-2, the nation's second satellite, might offer assistance in locating illegal activities that jeopardize the ecosystems of remote mountain areas.
The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine yesterday repeated its warning that farmers must dispose of dead animals as soon as possible and that disinfection tasks had to be carried out immediately.
Also see story:
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS