Taipei: Three-hundred-and-three households in Taiwan remained without electricity as of Monday morning, following days of heavy rain and flooding in central and southern areas, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). The ministry reported that power had initially been cut to 50,671 homes due to the downpours, and restoration work will proceed once access is restored through reopened roads or drained floodwater from underground structures.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) has deployed 47 mobile pumps to assist local governments in clearing standing water. On Monday morning, Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) conducted a meeting chaired by Tu Wen-jane, who also serves as the deputy minister of Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). Tu emphasized the importance of the CEOC’s medical and environmental teams’ support for local governments in disease prevention and ensuring a swift response to health concerns.
CEOC reports indicate that 40 shelters remain operational across six counties and cities, currently housing 636 people, with the majority of evacuees located in Kaohsiung (359 people) and Pingtung County (218). A total of 5,925 people have been evacuated. The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) assured that no unusual outbreaks or cluster infections have occurred. Nevertheless, the CDC warned of potential diseases such as leptospirosis, melioidosis, or dengue fever from exposure to contaminated or stagnant water during cleanup efforts. The public is urged to wear appropriate protective gear, maintain food hygiene, and eliminate mosquito-breeding sources.
The CDC has stockpiled 150,307 bottles of disinfectant for use in disaster-affected areas. The CEOC stated that alerts for debris flows and large-scale landslides remain in effect. As a precaution, ten sections of Taiwan’s provincial highways were closed, with five blocked due to damage and an additional disaster-related road incident reported. Repairs on Provincial Highway No. 16 and Provincial Highway No. 20 are expected to be completed on Monday, with traffic controls lifted once conditions are deemed safe.
Meanwhile, search and rescue operations are ongoing along the Southern Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway No. 20), where a vehicle fell into a valley.