In an eerie replay of damage from recent storms, people in northern Taiwan woke up to widespread flooding yesterday after a night of continuous heavy rain.
People waded across flooded streets with car roofs protruding from the water. Train service on some lines was interrupted. Television footage showed rescue personnel in inflatable boasts evacuating residents from their homes to shelter on higher ground. Cars and scooters were submerged, and floodwaters in some low-lying areas rose to one story deep.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
``It's horrible; we dared not sleep the whole night because we were worried about the water rising further,'' a woman told a cable television station.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
In Taipei, people rushed to pile sandbags around the entrances of underground rail stations and pedestrian passages.
A resident of Nangang in east Taipei City, said that he and his family had piled sandbags to stop water from flowing into their basement. ``But all our efforts were in vain. We had a basement full of water and I just don't know where to start cleaning it,'' he said.
Minor mudslides occurred in mountain areas in Taipei and Keelung City, but no damage was reported.
Later yesterday, flooding in the Taipei area subsided, and residents began to sweep mud out of their homes and shops.
Keelung
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Water levels in flooded regions of Keelung reached as high as two stories yesterday after Friday night's torrential rainfall, with pumping stations out of order at several locations.
Flooding hit Chitu, Paifu and Tingnei Townships most seriously, with water levels in heavily flooded regions reaching over 3m above safety levels.
There was serious flooding on several Keelung City streets. The fire department was called on to assist with the evacuation of residents on Shenaokeng Road, where chest-high water levels forced one taxi driver to abandon his cab in the middle of the street.
Roughly 4,055 households lost electricity in Keelung and trains between Taipei and Keelung were cancelled. But the city faced bigger problems with crippled pumping stations throughout Tingnei Township.
The rainfall began to abate yesterday, with the Central Weather Bureau recording 244mm of rain in the region between midnight and 7pm yesterday, while 324mm of rainfall was recorded for Friday night between 8 pm and yesterday morning.
The overflow of water from nearby rivers inundated the newly built protection embankments in Tingnei, prompting Keelung City Mayor Hsu Tsai-li (許財利) to call on Minister of the Interior Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) to authorize the use of the Yuan Shan Tsai flood diversion sluice ahead of the facilities' completion.
Keelung city also sought support from the central government, asking for 10 large and 30 small water pumps yesterday at around noon. The Ministry of National Defense authorized the use of 50 small water pumps but withheld lending out any large water pumps for the time being.
Taoyuan
A Taoyuan resident who died in floodwaters at the Mintsu Road underpass was the first victim of yesterday's heavy rains.
"The victim was about 50 years old but we are still trying to identify him, since we did not find any photo identification on him," said Gung Yung-hsin (
According to Gung, the division received a report that somebody had drowned at the underpass, which is near the Taoyuan District Court. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered that the vehicles-only underpass was flooded. Firefighters swam to locate the victim and pulled the body out.
Gung said that the heavy rain began around 8pm on Friday and hadn't stopped. Parts of Taoyuan City's Chengkung Road and Chingkuo Road were flooded, as were areas in Taoyuan County's Pingchen and Chungli cities. The floodwaters were from one to two meters deep.
In Pingchen City's Lungchuanchia, approximately 80 families were trapped when rivers overflowed and flooded their community. However, firefighters have brought necessary supplies to these families.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including