Torrential Rains Ravage Taiwan: 4 Dead, 74 Injured

Days of heavy rain have severely impacted southern Taiwan. As of the evening of the 3rd, 4 people have died, 74 have been injured, and 3 are missing across the island. On that day, more than 108 observation stations across Taiwan recorded daily accumulated rainfall exceeding 200 millimeters.

According to a combined report from United Daily News, the indigenous villages in the mountainous areas of Taoyuan and Namasia in Kaohsiung have become isolated. Kaohsiung City government evacuated and resettled over 3,000 people. In Maolin, Kaohsiung, the 7-day rainfall along the Dona trail had already surpassed Taiwan’s average annual rainfall.

The Central Disaster Response Center stated at a briefing on the evening of the 3rd that the southwestern air flow would gradually weaken from that night to the 4th, but the weather would remain unstable. MiaoLi and southwards, as well as Penghu, could still see localized heavy rain or torrential rain. On the 4th and 5th, the Greater Taipei area and the northern Yilan mountainous areas will have afternoon thunderstorms. The public should beware of short-duration intense rainfall, lightning strikes, strong gusts, low visibility, and flash flooding in rivers, and are advised to avoid activities in the mountains and along streams and rivers.

As for casualties, according to the Fire Department’s statistics as of 7:30 PM on the 3rd, there were a total of 4 dead, 3 missing, and 74 injured across the island. In Taoyuan District, Kaohsiung City, at 9:00 PM on July 30th, a car fell into a valley due to the collapse of the roadbed; among the 5 people in the car, 2 have been confirmed dead while 3 remain unaccounted for. Around 5:00 AM on the 2nd in Qishan District, a 47-year-old woman surnamed Huang riding a motorcycle fell into a drainage ditch and went missing; at noon on the 3rd, the Coast Guard found her at the Gaoping River estuary, obviously deceased.

Additionally, there have been 86 flooding-related cases of people trapped, with 154 people rescued so far.

House on the brink of collapse

In Changhua County, a severe landslide occurred on Hushui Road in Yuanlin City on the afternoon of the 3rd. Earth and rock in front of the house owned by a resident surnamed Huang all gave way, and their home was at risk on the edge of the slope. Authorities helped relocate the three members of the Huang family to a community center that evening as a precaution.

“There was a loud bang, and when I went out to look, half my front yard was gone,” said owner Huang, who has lived on Hushui Road for 50 years. Although there had been small landslides before during rainstorms, this is the first time their entire front yard was washed away. “It was truly frightening; thank goodness the house didn’t go down with it—otherwise, our lives would have been lost. But the road is also blocked by debris, and cars can’t get through.”

According to Taiwan’s standards: accumulated rainfall of over 500 millimeters in 24 hours is considered extremely torrential rain; over 350 millimeters in 24 hours or 200 millimeters in 3 hours is considered torrential rain; heavy rain is over 200 millimeters in 24 hours or over 100 millimeters in 3 hours; while moderate rain is over 80 millimeters in 24 hours or hourly rainfall over 40 millimeters.