Major flooding engulfs Taiwan as storm unleashes over 1,000 mm of rain
Roads turn into rivers in northern Taiwan as rain lashes the island, with rescuers helping residents evacuate as they struggle against the torrents.
Two people are dead after moisture from former-Tropical Cyclone Mora led to quick-hitting torrential rainfall and major flooding in northern Taiwan on Friday.
Out of the 163 mm (6.42 inches) of rain that inundated Taipei on Friday, 120 mm (4.72 inches) fell in just two hours, according to data obtained by Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.
Flooding quickly swamped the area and turned streets into rivers, including in Taipei. Flooded tracks disrupted rail traffic.
In the Taipei area on Friday, the majority of that rain occurred with a 12-hour period.
Northern parts of New Taipei City were hit the hardest on Friday with rain totals exceeding 300 mm (12 inches).
The far northern tip of Taiwan joined the central mountains in enduring the most extreme rainfall totals on Friday. (Image courtesy of the Central Weather Bureau)
Sanzhi District has topped Friday's rainfall totals list with 645.5 mm (25.41 inches).
Torrential rainfall continued through Saturday as portions of the country received additional rainfall of over 600 mm (23.62 inches). Two-day rainfall totals neared 1,200 mm (47.24 inches) at Nantianchi in Taoyuan District.
The mountains of central Taiwan received the heaviest rain on Saturday. (Image courtesy of the Central Weather Bureau)
One woman was killed when she was swept away by the flood waters while riding a motorcycle in the Bali District of New Taipei City, Taiwan News reported. The deluge is being blamed for another death and five injuries.
Schools and universities were forced to close. Flood waters inundated Boling Kindergarten in Taipei, forcing students and staff to evacuate to a nearby building.
Many schools remain closed on Saturday.
More than 300 flights were delayed at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport on Friday, according to FlightAware.
“Moisture from what was once Tropical Cyclone Mora moved along the Mei-yu front across southeastern China and Taiwan, leading to the very heavy rainfall,” Douty said.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The lane is next to the river, so it's very dangerous.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Taiwan?src=hash">#Taiwan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flood?src=hash">#flood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flooding?src=hash">#flooding</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/floodwater?src=hash">#floodwater</a> <a href="https://t.co/pygFCENwCl">pic.twitter.com/pygFCENwCl</a></p>— è¡æ¿è (@SaiShouYuu) <a href="https://twitter.com/SaiShouYuu/status/870541321974435841">June 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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“The Mei-yu front is a semi-stationary boundary that forms during the late spring and summer across southeastern Asia.”
This front is notorious for triggering torrential rainfall, Douty added.
Another 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) will inundate parts of Taiwan on Sunday, with locally higher amounts in the mountains.
Any substantial rain will trigger new or worsen ongoing flooding and mudslides, putting more lives and property at risk. Roads and bridges can be damaged, while already swollen rivers may further rise out of their banks.
Never walk or drive across a flooded road or bridge as the roadway underneath may be washed away or the current below the surface may be unsuspectingly flowing dangerously too fast.
A mere 300 mm (12 inches) of fast-flowing water can sweep away a small car.
The risk of downpours across Taiwan will lessen early in the coming week.
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