Heavy rain triggers flooding across southern, eastern Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 24 (CNA) Heavy rain brought by a low-pressure system and strong southwesterly winds triggered widespread flooding, landslides and road damage across central, southern and eastern Taiwan on Monday, disrupting rail travel, prompting mass evacuations and leaving one person missing.

Central and local authorities reported that more than 4,000 residents have been evacuated from high-risk mountain areas, primarily in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County.

Kaohsiung

In Kaohsiung, continuous downpours caused road collapses in Qianzhen, Renwu and Gangshan districts, including a sinkhole measuring 3 meters long, 2 meters wide, and 1.2 meters deep on Qianzhen's Guangxi Road. Potholes on Bade 1st Road in Renwu punctured the tires of several passing vehicles.

Local officials had evacuated 2,648 people as of Monday morning as 119 red alert debris-flow warnings were triggered in mountainous areas.

In Tianliao District, a landslide on a road near Neian Bridge on Sunday afternoon left more than 30 residents temporarily stranded before clearance operations began.

Pingtung

Neighboring Pingtung County reported severe urban and agricultural flooding, particularly in Wandan Township, Chaozhou Township, and Donggang Township, where water levels reached thigh-hight on several major roads.

As of Monday morning, county authorities had evacuated 713 residents from eight townships -- Sandimen, Majia, Taiwu, Laiyi, Chunri, Shizi, Mudan and Manzhou. Of those, 131 were accommodated in shelters while the rest stayed with relatives.

Flooding forced traffic controls on multiple roads. In Donggang, water reached about 50 centimeters deep on Zhongzheng Road, while a guava and banana farmer in Wandan said he was unable to inspect his orchards because the only access road was flooded.

Tainan

In Tainan, 24-hour accumulated rainfall exceeded 400 millimeters in Yongkang and Rende districts. Rising water levels along the Sanye River caused repeated flooding in surrounding low-lying areas, forcing the temporary closure of both ramps to Rende Interchange on National Freeway No. 1.

Flooding also inundated roads near An Nan Hospital, where firefighters used inflatable boats to transport about 200 people seeking medical treatment.

Continuous rain also caused a side wall of the Great East Gate, a national historic site constructed in 1725, to collapse early Monday morning after rainwater seeped into its base.

The city government evacuated 567 residents as a precaution after 18 debris-flow-prone streams were placed under red alert and another 19 under yellow alert. Of those evacuated, 517 stayed with relatives while 50 were housed by district offices.

Hualien

In Hualien, where some southern townships recorded more than 300 mm of rainfall, surging water in the Xiuguluan River washed away the temporary Yuchang access road connecting Yuli and Changliang.

Firefighters were searching for a hospital security guard who was reported missing after his mobile phone signal was last detected near the crossing.

Authorities also closed several mountain roads and temporary bridge crossings in southern Hualien as a precaution.

Nearby, at the Wanli Creek barrier lake, water levels dropped by 4.7 meters, reducing stored volume by approximately 1 million metric tons, though authorities maintained a red alert for the river channel.

Landslide alerts, rail disruptions

Across Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taitung, and Hualien, the Agriculture Ministry's Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation Agency issued red or yellow alerts for 374 potential debris-flow streams and warnings for 15 large-scale landslide sites. Hualien

Transportation services were heavily impacted. Taiwan Railway Corp. announced that all express trains on the Eastern Line and South Link Line would remain suspended for the rest of Monday, while local trains would continue to run depending on rainfall conditions.

The Water Resources Agency said it had received 395 reports of flooding nationwide as of 6 a.m. Monday, mostly in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung. Nearly 90 percent of affected areas had gradually drained, and 37 large pumping machines were deployed to assist local governments.

The agency said it would continue monitoring the Wanli Creek lake and regional water supplies, as Typhoon Saudel approaches Taiwan.