Storm leaves 13 injured; over 3,300 evacuated amid flood warnings

Taipei, Nov. 11 (CNA) Thirteen people were injured and more than 3,300 residents evacuated nationwide as Tropical Storm Fung-Wong triggered heavy rain and flooding across eastern and northern Taiwan, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 3,393 people had been evacuated, including 3,223 in Hualien County, where severe rain led to the overflow of the Matai'an Creek.

Temporary crossings at the creek have been closed as a precaution, and heavy machinery has been deployed to clear mud and reinforce embankments, the CEOC said.

Regarding the current situation of the barrier lake on the Matai'an River, the Hualien Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) issued a red alert for the barrier lake at 1:45 a.m. today in accordance with its warning mechanism.

The water level, which began to drop from late last night to early this morning, reflects normal scouring and overflow of the barrier lake, with no signs of rapid erosion or collapse of the dam body, according to the CEOC.

The CEOC added that flood alerts were in place for low-lying coastal and river-mouth areas in New Taipei, Yilan, Hualien, Taitung, and Pingtung counties.

The Transport Ministry suspended all services on the mountainous Pingxi railway Line in northern Taiwan, while a section of Provincial Highway No. 9 between Guangfu and Fenglin townships in Hualien (228K+500 to 236K+500) was closed as a precautionary measure.

Hualien, Kaohsiung and New Taipei governments have opened 22 shelters, housing 823 people by noon, according to CEOC data.

As of 5 p.m., the storm was centered 300 kilometers southwest of Taiwan's southernmost tip, moving north-northeast at around 11 km per hour, according to the Central Weather Administration.

The storm had a radius of 220 km, with maximum sustained winds of 101 kph and gusts reaching 126 kph, CWA data showed.