Hualien: The head of Yuli Township in Hualien County stated Sunday that the rain damage from Tropical Storm Wipha was the worst he had witnessed in 50 years. The township, located in eastern Taiwan, experienced accumulated rainfall of 485.5 millimeters from Friday midnight to Sunday 3 p.m., as reported by the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

According to Focus Taiwan, Township Chief Kung Wen-chun explained that the town’s mountainous surroundings caused heavy rainwater to flow rapidly into the Xiuguluan River, which runs through the area. This resulted in flooding of nearby farmlands and residences, as the water could not be adequately drained. “This has never happened in the past 52 years,” he remarked.

In neighboring Fuli Township, traffic was disrupted due to several major road collapses. The township recorded a total of 525 mm of rainfall during the same period, according to the CWA. Township Chief Chiang Tung-cheng reported that he had deployed large machinery to clear a collapsed liaison road to a local village and sought assistance from the county government for road repairs. He urged the public to stay informed about weather changes and road conditions, avoid areas with collapsed roads, and cooperate with repair efforts.

Across Taiwan, extremely heavy rain advisories were issued for Taichung, Nantou County, Taitung County, and the Hengchun Peninsula, warning of accumulated rain exceeding 200 mm within 24 hours or over 100 mm within three hours, effective through Sunday night, based on CWA reports. Additionally, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien counties, and Orchid Island and Green Island received warnings for rain exceeding 80 mm within 24 hours or over 40 mm in one hour.

The CWA lifted its sea warning for Wipha at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.