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Updated Tuesday, October 13, 2009 9:13 am TWN, The China Post news staff

Heavy rains batter Yilan County again

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Extensive flooding walloped several areas in Yilan again yesterday, dealing the northeastern county with a second blow in seven days. The situation could worsen as the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) forecasts that the rain in the region is expected to last at least 24 or 48 hours.

Transport service in the adjacent eastern Hualien County was disrupted again after heavy rains triggered mud and rock slides on Suhua (Suao-Hualien) Highway and the Central East-West Cross-Island Highway. Suhua Highway will return to normal operation by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow.

In view of the continuing downpours resulting from the convergence of Typhoon Parma's outer bands and the northeast monsoon, the CWB maintained its warning against torrential rain for certain areas in Yilan yesterday.

Cumulative rainfall in Datong, Dongshan and Sansing townships reached more than 1,000 mm in the past three days, flooding farm land and turning roads into rivers. Knee-high flooding brought land traffic to a standstill.

The Yilan County Government announced school and office closures in several districts for the afternoon.

More than a dozen families were evacuated to safe areas before nightfall.

The Council of Agriculture (COA) has extended a red alert warning on mudslides for 31 areas in various villages of the county, indicating that local administrations should prepare to evacuate residents.

The COA also issued a yellow alert for rivers in 107 other areas in Yilan and Hualien counties, warning local people to take precautions against mudslides.

Yilan County Magistrate Lu Kuo-hua and senior officials at the county's emergency center have taken nonstop visits to flooded areas to coordinate evacuation, flood-blocking, and repair operations.

Traffic on Suhua Highway and the Central East-West Cross-Island Highway resumed late last week in the aftermath of Typhoon Parma which left for the Philippines.

But the new heavy rainfall over the weekend induced new mud and rock slides. Several tunnels were also closed after being reopened for only a few days.

Officials said one-way traffic should be resumed by late afternoon Wednesday.

Farmers and fruit growers complained that their vegetables and fruits marked for markets in Taipei area were forced to be transported to southern Taiwan and then moved north on the freeways.

This not only prolonged the transport time and increased the costs but also undermined the quality of their produce, said the growers.

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	Highway engineers and workers have been repairing new damage caused by heavy rains and mudslides on eastern Suhua (Suao-Hualien) Highway connecting Yilan and Hualien counties. The damage to several tunnels on the highway and the Central East-West Highway have caused a deterioration of traffic service for eastern Taiwan. (CNA) Enlarge Photo


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