Eastern Taiwan battered as Typhoon Krathon nears

Eastern Taiwan was battered by heavy rainfall on Sept. 30, even as Typhoon Krathon was still making its way toward Taiwan from the south. The downpours led to landslides along Provincial Highway No. 9 and disrupted traffic on the main artery linking northern Taiwan to Hualien and Taitung counties in the east. The Highway Bureau closed a section of the roadway between Su'ao in Yilan County and Chongde in Hualien as a precaution, and the Central Weather Administration issued heavy rain alerts for Taiwan's three eastern counties, warning of rainfall exceeding 40 millimeters in one hour, or 80 mm in 24 hours, between Sept. 30 evening and Oct. 1 evening.