Kinmen shuts down schools and offices Sunday morning

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/24
By: Duncan DeAeth, Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Tropical Storm Bailu only spent three hours crossing the southern tip of Taiwan Saturday (August 24) afternoon, but torrential rain and strong winds were expected to last for the rest of the day, especially in the South, the Central Weather Bureau said.

The storm made landfall in Manzhou, Pingtung County, on the southwest coast around 1 p.m., and spent longer than expected on land until it moved into the Taiwan Strait from Kaohsiung City after 4 p.m., the Central News Agency reported.

The storm left two injured in its wake, both in Taitung County, though precise details about the circumstances were not immediately available.

The worst-hit areas were the east coast, mainly the counties of Taitung and Hualien, reports said. The heaviest rainfall was the 500 milliliters recorded on Liushidan Mountain near Fuli in Hualien County, a location usually drawing many sightseers for its orange daylily blossoms. A total of 14 people were stuck on the mountain for a while after the road down was made impassable by mudslides.    [FULL  STORY]