Hualien: A new barrier lake that formed on Matai’an Creek in Hualien County overflowed and flooded Mingli Village in Wanrong Township again Thursday afternoon, according to the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA).

According to Focus Taiwan, Huang Chun-tse, head of FANCA’s Hualien Office, mentioned that the overflow occurred around 1 p.m., earlier than expected due to the natural dam’s instability. A drone survey conducted early Thursday identified a new barrier lake approximately 300 meters from the original one.

FANCA reported that the new barrier lake was created when the right bank of the original collapsed, leading debris to flow downstream and dam the creek. Drone imagery revealed that the new barrier lake can hold a maximum of 1 million cubic meters of water and spans an area of 7.6 hectares.

Huang explained that poor weather conditions in the mountainous region have hindered further drone surveys, leaving the actual volume of water that overflowed yet to be determined. FANCA has issued a red alert due to the formation of the new lake, advising local authorities to maintain safety measures.

As a precautionary step, offices and schools in Hualien’s Guangfu Township were closed from 1 p.m. on Thursday. Residents in Guangfu, Wanrong, and Fenglin townships have been instructed to evacuate to local shelters.

Earlier, FANCA indicated that operators of heavy machinery, who were working to prevent overflow from an unprotected section of Matai’an Creek, had withdrawn their equipment from the site as a safety measure due to the potential overflow from the newly formed barrier lake.

Water from the creek’s open section had already inundated Mingli Village after overflowing on Tuesday, amid heavy rain brought by Tropical Storm Fung-Wong combined with the northeasterly monsoon.