Over 200 Hualien residents to be evacuated as barrier lake risks overflow

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) Residents of seven areas in Hualien County's Fenglin and Wanrong townships will be evacuated on Thursday, after a flood alert was issued for a barrier lake in the upper reaches of the Wanli River.

The "yellow" alert, issued at 8 a.m. by the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA), warned that the barrier lake could overflow within 48 hours.

Wanrong Township chief Liang Kuang-ming (梁光明) told reporters that authorities had notified residents through public broadcasts and door-to-door notices, informing them of a mandatory evacuation scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday.

Evacuation shelters have been set up at Mingli Elementary School and the Mingli Village Activity Center for the estimated 92 evacuees from 23 households, Liang said.

In the neighboring Fenglin Township, local government officials said emergency supplies were dispatched Thursday morning and military personnel were mobilized to assist with the evacuation process for the 116 residents from 49 households.

Preventive evacuations were scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, with shelters set up at Zhongshan Hall in the Lintianshan Forestry Culture Park and Fenglin Lohas Center, the officials said.

Huang Chun-tse (黃群策), director of FANCA's Hualien Branch, told reporters that the alert was issued after the Central Weather Administration's forecast at 5 a.m. Thursday projected more than 70 millimeters of accumulated rainfall in Hualien over the next 48 hours.

The estimated rainfall exceeds the 54-mm threshold for a "yellow" alert and is linked to cloud bands associated with Severe Tropical Storm Mekkhala, he said.

Aerial surveys have shown that the barrier lake currently contains about 780,000 cubic meters of water, according to Huang.

The lake's water level is currently 1,049 meters, close to the maximum capacity of 1,080 meters, he said.

The barrier lake is located about 30 kilometers upstream from the Wanli River Bridge. In a statement on Thursday, the Highway Bureau said contractors have been stationed at the bridge to monitor conditions.

If a red alert is issued, authorities may close the bridge as a precaution, the bureau said.

Meanwhile, the Lintianshan Forestry Culture Park will close at noon Thursday, pending further safety assessments, FANCA's Hualien Branch said.