Taipei (EFE).- Taiwan raised its alert levels Tuesday and evacuated thousands of people ahead of Typhoon Fung-wong, which despite weakening in recent hours, threatens to bring torrential rains to the eastern half of the island.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a marine and land typhoon warning for the eastern county of Taitung and the southern regions of Pingtung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan, where Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan, is expected to make landfall on Wednesday night.
At 10:15 am, the typhoon was located about 351 kilometers southwest of Cape Eluanbi, at the southern tip of Taiwan, with maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometers per hour (67 miles per hour) at its center and gusts of up to 136.8 kph, according to the agency.
The CWA had already issued warnings for “extreme torrential rains,” the highest alert level, for the mountainous areas of eastern Yilan County, as well as warnings for “torrential rains” in areas of Taipei, New Taipei City, Taitung, Hualien, and the rest of Yilan County.
CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin said at a press conference on Tuesday morning that Typhoon Fung-wong had weakened to a mild typhoon and could further weaken to a tropical depression or extratropical cyclone after making landfall in Taiwan.
The expert added that the interaction between the typhoon’s outer bands and the northeast monsoon was already causing strong winds and heavy rain in several areas of the island, with rainfall exceeding 500 millimeters in mountainous areas of Yilan between midnight Monday and Tuesday morning.
In anticipation of the typhoon’s approach, the government of eastern Hualien County ordered the “mandatory evacuation” of 4,910 residents of Guangfu, Wanrong, and Fenglin townships on Monday, according to CNA.
In late September, torrential rains from super typhoon Ragasa caused a reservoir near these townships to overflow, leaving 19 dead, five missing, and 157 injured, in addition to more than 1,600 homes damaged by landslides.
Taiwanese President William Lai urged people to avoid dangerous areas, such as mountains or seaside, and to take necessary precautions in advance.
The General Directorate of Personnel Administration (DGPA), responsible for overseeing public employees, announced the complete suspension of classes and work activities on Tuesday in four districts—Taoyuan, Yilan, Hualien, and Penghu—as well as a partial closure in two others—Taipei and New Taipei City.
Over the weekend, typhoon Fung-wong slammed into the Philippines, bringing torrential rains and severe flooding that led to the evacuation of 1.4 million people on Luzon, the island where Manila is located. EFE
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