Taiwan Today

A meeting of government agencies and representatives of local governments will be convened Oct. 7 to revamp standards for typhoon holidays, the Central Personnel Administration announced Oct. 6. Wu Tai-cheng, head of the CPA, said each county and city has a different gauge for one-day rainfall as the basis for school and office closures, but 350 millimeters is the most commonly applied yardstick. The meeting will take all factors into consideration in determining whether the central government should make a unified announcement of typhoon holidays. Premier Wu Den-yih said the authority for such announcements should probably still reside with local governments, to provide for differences in local conditions. Chao Hsin-ping, spokeswoman for the Taipei City Government, recounting a talk by Mayor Hau Lung-bin, said the central government’s standards for class and office closures are average winds of class 7 or higher, gusts up to class 10 or higher and single-day precipitation of 350 millimeters or more. However, considering the Taipei City drainage system capacity of 78 millimeters per hour, 350 millimeters of rain in one day would not cause flooding in the flatlands. Whether the same standard should be applied to mountainous areas and mudslide risk areas is a question that must be carefully examined. Chao emphasized that as Taipei City is the political and economic center of the country, once it declares a holiday, all government agencies and the financial and stock markets take the day off, so standards for typhoon holidays should be very rigorously established. The CPA pointed out the Executive Yuan has in the past set rainfall warning standards for every area as a guide to local governments. The aim of the meeting will be to further clarify the responsibilities of each level of government and the timing of announcements, to reduce unnecessary discrepancies. Central Weather Bureau Director-General Shin Tzay-chyn said each county and city government now has a daily rainfall warning standard, revised yearly according to water conservancy and construction conditions. Taipei City’s standard is 350 millimeters, for example, while Chiayi’s is 200. As soon as the amount of rain reaches the standard, the local government can determine whether to declare a typhoon holiday. Precipitation normally only reaches 350 millimeters in a day when there is a typhoon or southwesterly air currents, or during the “plum rains,” the spring rainy season. If a nationwide standard is set, it may not be appropriate for the varying conditions in mountainous regions and plains areas. Daniel Wu, director of the CWB’s Weather Forecast Center, suggested the National Science Council could bring together academic resources to help county and city governments investigate local geological and water conservancy conditions, and then combine their findings with meteorological and hydrological research, to propose more scientific rainfall standards to aid in typhoon holiday decision making. (THN)