《TAIPEI TIMES》 Storm wreaks havoc on nation

NEXT IN LINE: The CWB issued sea and land alerts for Tropical Storm Haitang, which was approaching the nation from the southwest after forming early yesterday

/ Staff writer, with CNA

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Train service was suspended, flights were disrupted, and highways and schools closed yesterday as the nation braced for its first typhoon of the year.

Typhoon Nesat — which strengthened into a moderate storm on Friday — was already bringing crashing waves and strong winds to the east coast earlier yesterday.

Nesat’s center made landfall at 7:10pm at Yilan County’s Suao Township （蘇澳）, the Central Weather Bureau （CWB） said, forecasting that the eye of the storm would leave the nation early this morning.

As of 8pm, Nesat had maximum sustained winds of 137kph, with gusts reaching 173kph, it added.

The bureau warned of extreme torrential rain from last night to today in Kaohsiung, as well as Hualien and Pingtung counties.

The bureau also issued sea and land warnings for Tropical Storm Haitang, which formed earlier yesterday and was moving toward Taiwan.

At 6pm, Haitang was centered 540km southwest of Oluanpi （鵝鑾鼻）, the nation’s southernmost tip, moving northeast at 27kph.

All cities and counties on Taiwan proper and outlying Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties should brace for strong winds and heavy rain, as the nation was forecast to be blanketed by the typhoon from last night to this morning, the bureau said.

The typhoon has caused several highway closures, while most trains running along the east coast were also suspended yesterday.

Air travel was also affected, with the schedules of domestic and international flights disrupted late yesterday and this morning.

As of 10am yesterday, 167 domestic flights had been canceled, while 91 international flights had been canceled and 23 were postponed, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said.

Taoyuan International Airport Corp （桃園國際機場公司）, which operates Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, urged travelers to verify the status of their flights with their airline before departing for the airport.

Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as some areas in Pingtung, suspended school and closed offices yesterday afternoon.

As of press time last night, all cities and counties — except Kinmen — had canceled school and work for today.

President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） yesterday directed authorities responsible for disaster prevention and rescue to stay vigilant for possible effects to lives and property from Nesat.

Speaking during a visit to the Central Emergency Operation Center, Tsai said that the center should maintain close contact and communication with local governments and rescue personnel on the front lines to coordinate resources efficiently to minimize potential damage.

Local governments should facilitate the publication of weather-related postponement and cancelation information, and all disaster prevention information must also be released to the public immediately, she said.

As eastern areas are home to many Aboriginal residents, the president instructed the Council of Indigenous Peoples to pay extra attention to disaster prevention in their communities.

Beyond preparations at emergency operations centers, Ministry of Economic Affairs departments including the Export Processing Zone Administration and the Water Resources Agency have activated their own disaster prevention programs.

The Water Resources Agency said that 950 mobile water pumps have been distributed to local governments nationwide in preparation for possible flooding resulting from torrential rains.

In the farming sector, vegetable and fruit growers nationwide have been urged to take precautions to avoid damage from the storm, while oyster farmers in coastal areas of Chiayi County were advised to secure their offshore facilities.

More than 36,000 soldiers have also been placed on standby to help with disaster relief.

Additional reporting by AFP

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES