Taipei:Premier Cho Jung-tai on Thursday advised the public to avoid creeks, beaches, and mountainous regions as Typhoon Champi nears Taiwan, bringing heavy rain and strong winds coinciding with the Retrocession Day long weekend.
According to Focus Taiwan, Cho's warning followed a briefing on disaster prevention measures adopted by government agencies in anticipation of the typhoon. Cho emphasized the need for agencies to be extra cautious, as the typhoon is expected to have its greatest impact during the holiday.
Central Weather Administration (CWA) head Lu Kuo-chen, speaking at a Cabinet news conference, noted that Typhoon Champi was rapidly moving toward Taiwan from the east and was expected to shift northward near the waters off northern Taiwan. The CWA issued sea and land warnings for the typhoon, predicting its rainbands would reach land early Friday.
Lu explained that the typhoon would envelop Taiwan and slowly depart on the 24th and 25th of the month. He added that the strongest winds would occur from Friday through Saturday. Gusts of up to level 12 on the Beaufort scale are anticipated along the eastern and northeastern coasts, the Hengchun Peninsula, and the outlying islands of Lanyu and Green Island.
The CWA forecasted extremely heavy rain for northern and northeastern mountainous areas from Thursday through Saturday morning, with heavy rainfall also expected in northern, northeastern, and central Taiwan, as well as eastern mountainous regions. Rainfall in northern and northeastern mountainous areas could range from 600 to 900 millimeters during this period.
At the news conference, National Fire Agency Chief Secretary Cheng Chih-chiang reported that the agency requested the Hualien County government to evacuate residents living downstream of the Wanli Creek landslide dam, which was holding 5 million metric tons of water, posing a potential disaster risk. Cheng urged the public to avoid mountainous areas, creeks, and beaches after the heavy rain, even after Champi has moved away from Taiwan.
