Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said.
Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation.
Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those traveling between Taipei and surrounding cities, and possibly strong winds in the afternoon.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The suspension of work and classes can allow people to prepare for the typhoon and avoid potentially dangerous areas, he added.
“You can see that this typhoon is moving slower than expected. We have also maintained close contact with the meteorological team to monitor the situation,” Chiang said.
The decision to cancel classes was based on forecast data obtained on Tuesday, and the city acted out of caution, he said.
“Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan are all parts of a larger community. If there is no synchronization, children in Keelung or New Taipei City might end up with canceled classes, while their parents still need to go to work in Taipei, which would be problematic,” he said.
“Forecast data obtained on Tuesday indicated that wind and rain would turn heavier in the afternoon, when a lot of people would be coming home from work or school,” he said. “Of course, the safety of residents and the convenience of commuting are the top priority.”
The latest meteorological report showed that gusts in Taipei would reach level 7 on the Beaufort scale in flat areas, and at times, level 10 in mountainous, he said.
“We are listening to reports from disaster prevention teams to stay abreast of the situation in mountainous areas and to protect residents, and take proper responses when necessary,” he said.
Short-term heavy rainfall has affected parts of northern Taiwan since Tuesday, which could exceed 60cm per hour if the typhoon strengthens, so the city has prepared for such a contingency, he said.
Asked if the decision contradicted a decree by President William Lai (賴清德) that Taipei would be “open all day, every day,” Chiang said the city had not forgotten the effects of Typhoon Maria when it hit in 2018.
Separately, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said that Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) had forced the other three major cities in the region into canceling work and classes by declaring a typhoon day early on.
In a Facebook post, Cheng said that KMT “forwent scientific decisionmaking” to protect Hsieh from a possible recall vote.
The mayors of all four major cities in northern Taiwan are KMT members.
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