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Taiwan braces for Typhoon Fanapi
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday forecast the center of Typhoon Fanapi will land in the eastern coast between Hualien and Taitung counties at noon today, and urged the public to stay alert for the expected powerful winds and heavy rains.
School and work are suspended today in all counties and cities except Kinmen and Matsu, local governments announced last night.
At 9:15 p.m., Fanapi was centered 250 kilometers east of Hualien in eastern Taiwan, packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 191 kilometers per hour, according to the bureau. It was heading in Taiwan's direction at a speed of 17 kilometers per hour and is projected to accelerate to 20 kilometers per hour within the next 24 hours.
Fanapi is expected to hit Taiwan's eastern coast early Sunday morning before sweeping across the entire island, bringing powerful winds and heavy rainfall that could last into Monday, forecasters said.
CWB forecasters said that after landing in the eastern coast, Fanapi may weaken and move westward at a faster pace into mainland China.
They predicted that central and southern Taiwan will experience weaker winds than the northern and eastern parts of the island, but may suffer extremely strong rainfall due to the southwest monsoon caused by the typhoon.
As Fanapi is the most powerful typhoon to hit Taiwan this year, many people are worried about whether it will bring devastating damage similar to that caused by Typhoon Morakot on Aug. 8 last year. But CWB forecasters said that unlike Morakot, Fanapi will not linger and will quickly move westward across the island and onto mainland China.
The Soil and Water Conservation Bureau of the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) issued mudslide warnings for 106 places in 29 villages of four townships spread across the three counties of Yilan, Taoyuan and Hsinchu.
The COA called for local governments to persuade residents in dangerous areas to move out to safer places as soon as possible.
In an effort to cope with possible disasters caused by Typhoon Fanapi, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has readied a military force of 23,000 soldiers and a full range of rescue facilities such as power generators, water pumps, satellite telephones, rubber boats, airplanes, heavy-duty vehicles and tools to handle possible rescue missions. The ministry has stationed rescue soldiers in the townships of eastern Hualien and Taitung counties.
In addition, the MND has set up a total of 73 shelter centers, including 67 barracks in northern, central, southern and eastern Taiwan, and six on offshore islands. The centers can accommodate a total of 20,157 people.
Meanwhile, President Ma Ying-jeou, in the company of Premier Wu Den-yih, Vice Premier Sean Chen, and Secretary General Lin Chung-shen of the Cabinet, made an inspection tour of the Emergency Management Information System (EMIS) at 9 a.m. yesterday.
At the EMIS center, Ma presided over a teleconference with chiefs of the island's 25 counties and cities to get updates on their anti-typhoon preparations.
Although the weather remained mild yesterday, the president reminded all the county and city chiefs not to become careless, and asked them to set up station in their local emergency management centers in advance.
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday forecast the center of Typhoon Fanapi will land in the eastern coast between Hualien and Taitung counties at noon today, and urged the public to stay alert for the expected powerful winds and heavy rains.
School and work are suspended today in all counties and cities except Kinmen and Matsu, local governments announced last night.
At 9:15 p.m., Fanapi was centered 250 kilometers east of Hualien in eastern Taiwan, packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 191 kilometers per hour, according to the bureau. It was heading in Taiwan's direction at a speed of 17 kilometers per hour and is projected to accelerate to 20 kilometers per hour within the next 24 hours.
Fanapi is expected to hit Taiwan's eastern coast early Sunday morning before sweeping across the entire island, bringing powerful winds and heavy rainfall that could last into Monday, forecasters said.
CWB forecasters said that after landing in the eastern coast, Fanapi may weaken and move westward at a faster pace into mainland China.
They predicted that central and southern Taiwan will experience weaker winds than the northern and eastern parts of the island, but may suffer extremely strong rainfall due to the southwest monsoon caused by the typhoon.
As Fanapi is the most powerful typhoon to hit Taiwan this year, many people are worried about whether it will bring devastating damage similar to that caused by Typhoon Morakot on Aug. 8 last year. But CWB forecasters said that unlike Morakot, Fanapi will not linger and will quickly move westward across the island and onto mainland China.
The Soil and Water Conservation Bureau of the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) issued mudslide warnings for 106 places in 29 villages of four townships spread across the three counties of Yilan, Taoyuan and Hsinchu.
The COA called for local governments to persuade residents in dangerous areas to move out to safer places as soon as possible.
In an effort to cope with possible disasters caused by Typhoon Fanapi, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has readied a military force of 23,000 soldiers and a full range of rescue facilities such as power generators, water pumps, satellite telephones, rubber boats, airplanes, heavy-duty vehicles and tools to handle possible rescue missions. The ministry has stationed rescue soldiers in the townships of eastern Hualien and Taitung counties.
In addition, the MND has set up a total of 73 shelter centers, including 67 barracks in northern, central, southern and eastern Taiwan, and six on offshore islands. The centers can accommodate a total of 20,157 people.
Meanwhile, President Ma Ying-jeou, in the company of Premier Wu Den-yih, Vice Premier Sean Chen, and Secretary General Lin Chung-shen of the Cabinet, made an inspection tour of the Emergency Management Information System (EMIS) at 9 a.m. yesterday.
At the EMIS center, Ma presided over a teleconference with chiefs of the island's 25 counties and cities to get updates on their anti-typhoon preparations.
Although the weather remained mild yesterday, the president reminded all the county and city chiefs not to become careless, and asked them to set up station in their local emergency management centers in advance.
