Heavy rain brought on by Typhoon Haitang made river water levels across Taipei County rise swiftly, but the operation of the Yuanshanzih water channel (員山仔分洪道) diverted most of the flood waters away from the Sijhih City (汐止) and the town of Wudu (五堵) yesterday.
"I am satisfied with the operation of Yuanshanzih channel," said Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday morning as he watched the operation of the channel. "It prevented the area along Keelung River from becoming too flooded as a result of the typhoon."
The channels diverting excessive water around Keelung and the northeast of Taipei County were in operation since Saturday night, after heavy rains caused the Keelung River level to rise swiftly.
PHOTO: YANG CHING-CHEN, TAIPEI TIMES
Sijhih City, Wudu and lower area of Neihu did not receive substantial amounts of flooding, officials said.
For their own safety, Hsieh urged people not to visit the channel, and residents living in the surrounding areas were evacuated. However, the residents of more than 10 households in Rueifang Township (瑞芳鎮) along the sluiceway refused to leave their homes and stay at a temporary shelter. Local police arrived later and forced them to leave their homes.
The mountainous Wulai (烏來) area has received a lot of rain since Saturday night.
PHOTO: TSAI MENG-SHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Local officials have been on alert, and had taken appropriate measures in response to the rising water levels.
Torrential rains also whipped through Taipei on Sunday and yesterday. Powerful winds uprooted trees, dislodged billboards and blew over scooters all over the nation's northeast. The storm's full impact was hit Taipei early yesterday evening when its eye was just south of the city.
Taipei's normally busy streets were mostly deserted, and air and rail services came to a standstill.
PHOTO: LU CHUN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Hsieh yesterday also criticized the Taipei City Government for not dispatching enough workers to clean the garbage and debris left strewn about the streets. More than 25,000 households in Taipei County lost power on Saturday night, most of them in Shilin, Beitou and Yangmingshan, but power was later restored.
Police said a Gucci shop on Zhongshan N Rd was broken into, and 86 pieces of designer merchandise were stolen. The losses amounted to over NT$1 million. Police said suspects broke glass windows at about 5am yesterday morning and entered the shop. The thieves may have used the noise from strong winds and rain conceal their crime, they added.
In other developments, the Ministry of National Defense said it has set up a typhoon disaster relief center and would assist municipal workers or police if necessary.
PHOTO: CHEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
RSS