Hualien township sees 'worst rain damage in 50 years'

Taipei, July 20 (CNA) The head of Yuli Township in Hualien County said Sunday that the rain damage from Tropical Storm Wipha was the worst he had seen in 50 years.

The township in eastern Taiwan received accumulated rainfall of 485.5 milimeters from Friday midnight to Sunday 3 p.m., according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

Township chief Kung Wen-chun (龔文俊) said that because the town is surrounded by mountains, heavy rain quickly flowed into the Xiuguluan River, which runs through the area, before it could be properly drained, leading to flooding in nearby farmlands and residences.

"This has never happened in the past 52 years," he said.

Also in Hualien, Fuli Township saw traffic blocked due to multiple major road collapses.

The township received a total of 525 mm of accumulated rainfall in the same period of time, according to the CWA.

Chiang Tung-cheng (江東成), the township chief, said that he had dispatched large machinery to clear up the collapse in a liaison road to a local village, and sent for help from the county government to assist with road repairs.

As the roads are being repaired, Chiang called on members of the public to note weather changes and road situations, refrain from visiting locations with collapsed roads, and cooperate with repair operations.

Elsewhere across Taiwan, extremely heavy rain advisories have been issued for Taichung, Nantou County, Taitung County, the Hengchun Peninsula, warning of accumulated rain exceeding 200 mm within 24 hours or rainfall exceeding 100 mm within three hours, effective through Sunday night, according to the CWA.

Meanwhile, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien counties, and Orchid Island and Green Island are warned of rain exceeding 80 mm within 24 hours or exceeding 40 mm in one hour, according to CWA data.

The CWA has lifted its sea warning for Wipha at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.