Typhoon Fanapi pounded Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rainfall Sept. 19, causing agricultural losses as well as flooding in some areas in the southern and eastern parts of the island.
Fanapi swept westward across Taiwan after making landfall in Hualien County at around 8:40 a.m., with the eye of the storm moving off the island by the evening.
In the greater Kaohsiung area, rain and winds began to die down in the morning before another sudden deluge in the afternoon when rainfall topped 100 millimeters per hour. Several districts in the city and a number of townships and villages in the surrounding county were inundated.
Accumulated rainfall in some areas in the southern county was the highest in almost a decade. By the evening of Sept. 19, Qiaotou Township had recorded the most at 842 millimeters, followed by Dashe Township at 738 millimeters, while Kaohsiung City had registered 514 millimeters of rain.
In the county’s Jen Ta Industrial Park, flooding led to a power outage at around 6 p.m. that caused a stoppage of all production lines at 11 petrochemical plants. Estimates losses to upstream and downstream businesses were at least NT$100 million (US$3.15 million).
The neighboring county of Pingtung was also hit with heavy rains, with Neipu Township recording more than 400 mm. Low-lying areas in about a dozen townships and villages experienced significant flooding, with residents of some areas having to be evacuated.
Meteorologist Hsieh Ming-chang at the Central Weather Bureau said the land warning for Typhoon Fanapai was expected to be lifted on Taiwan proper the morning of Sept. 20 and that the outlying islands, including Penghu and Matsu, were anticipated to be free of the storm’s influence by the afternoon.
Nevertheless, Hsieh warned residents to remain on alert as heavy rainfall was forecast to continue through Sept. 20, affecting mountainous regions of Pingtung, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi.
Meanwhile, preliminary tallies compiled by the Council of Agriculture put total agricultural losses around Taiwan at roughly NT$109.81 million. Hualien in eastern Taiwan was the hardest hit county.
Crop damage was estimated at approximately NT$93.54 million, with some 2,149 hectares experiencing an average of 20 percent in losses.
The council said the amount of losses in Hualien had already surpassed the minimum required for farmers to qualify for low-interest loans according to the Agricultural Natural Disaster Relief Regulations. (SB)
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