By KHT Staff. Image via CNA
KAOHSIUNG — Southern Taiwan remained under siege from torrential rain Friday as widespread flooding inundated communities across Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Tainan, leaving two people dead and prompting numerous water rescues.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, 487 flooding incidents had been reported nationwide by noon Friday, with southern Taiwan accounting for a large share of the cases.
Kaohsiung recorded 104 flooding incidents, the highest in the country, followed by Pingtung County with 95 and Tainan with 79.
One of the fatalities occurred in Kaohsiung’s Shanlin District (杉林區) on Thursday evening. Police said a 73-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃) was swept away after falling into a drainage ditch while walking toward farmland with her husband. Her body was later recovered downstream.
Southern Taiwan experienced some of the heaviest rainfall overnight and into Friday morning, with floodwaters overwhelming roads, homes and drainage systems.In Kaohsiung, emergency crews deployed inflatable boats to assist residents in Lujhu (路竹) and Niaosong (鳥松) districts as rising waters cut off access to some neighborhoods.
Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said nearly one-quarter of Kaohsiung’s average annual rainfall fell within a single day.
Tainan also suffered severe flooding after more than 250 millimeters of rain fell within six hours, coinciding with high tide conditions.
Residents in several districts described the flooding as the worst they had experienced in years.
Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said the intensity of the rainfall exceeded the capacity of existing flood-control infrastructure in some areas.
Forecasters warned that unstable weather conditions could continue as the storm system and seasonal weather pattern remain active over the region.
