Taiwan prepares for onslaught of Typhoon Krathon as storm-force winds reach southern coast
Content of Article:
- CWA Typhoon Report
- Central Disaster Response Center open
- Ministry of National Defense Press release
- People trapped in Tunnel after landslides
- Landslide blocks Beiyi Highway
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration issued a land alert for Typhoon Krathon at 2:30 am Monday morning, as the storm approached the southern tip of the island, threatening communities in southern and eastern coastal and mountain areas.
Central Weather Administration Report
The CWA said that at 11:00 am, Monday, Krathon was located 210 kilometers south-southeast of Taiwan’s southernmost point, Point Eluanbi, moving northwest at around 9 kilometers per hour, and expected to slow to 5 kilometers per hour. The typhoon is packing sustained winds of 45 meters per second (162 kilometers per hour), with maximum gusts of 55 meters per second (198 kilometers per hour). The central air pressure is 940 hPa.
The storm circle has already reached land on the Hengchun Peninsula. An alert for storm-force winds is in effect for Pingtung County, Taitung County, and Kaohsiung City.
Central Disaster Response Center Open
The Central Disaster Response Center convened a meeting early Monday morning to coordinate disaster prevention and response, issuing Level 1 flood alerts for five vulnerable townships. The flood alert includes Yuli Township, Zhuoxi Township, and Xincheng Township in Hualien County, and Changbin Township and Dawu Township, in Taitung County. The disaster response center said that the typhoon’s peripheral circulation has already brought wind gusts up to level 10 on the Beaufort Scale, and waves up to 7.7 meters on Orchid Island in Taitung County.
Municipal disaster response centers have opened in Hsinchu County, Taitung County, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, Chiayi City, Changhua County, Yunlin County, Pingtung County, and Hualien County. In Pingtung County, residents of some mountain villages have been urged to evacuate as a precaution ahead of the typhoon.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced that Provincial Highway 9 between the 154.8 kilometer mark and the 165.7 kilometer mark is closed as of 6:55 am, due to landslides and rockfalls caused by heavy rain. The Taiwan Railways North-link line between Heren and Chongde stations is also closed.
Defense Ministry on standby for disaster response
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense issued a press release at 11:40 am saying that the national army currently has a force of 15,000 personnel and more than 1,000 vehicles on standby for disaster response mobilization. Vehicles include AAV-7 amphibious vehicles and inflatable boats.
People and cars trapped in tunnel after landslides on Suhua Highway
Fourteen people in eight vehicles were trapped for a time after landslides blocked the road either end of a tunnel on Highway 9 between Yilan County and Hualien near Chongde at 1:55 am Monday morning.
The Highway Bureau sent an emergency work crew to clear the entrance at the northern end of the tunnel, allowing the trapped people to finally be evacuated to a control point at around 5:50 am.
Landslide blocks Beiyi Highway
A landslide temporarily blocked Highway 9 between New Taipei City and Yilan County this morning. According to reports, falling rocks and trees collapsed onto the road at the 42.8 kilometer mark at around 8:00 am. Police and members of the public were able to clear branches and allow single-lane, two-way traffic until road repair crews arrived.
The highway bureau urged the public to avoid driving on mountain roads during heavy rain due to the risk of rockfalls and landslides.
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