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  • 4 hours ago
Tropical Storm Fung Wong is nearing Taiwan, and thousands of people have evacuated. The east coast is already seeing widespread flooding and damage.
Transcript
00:00Eastern Taiwan is hammered with rain, as Tropical Storm Fong Wong closes in on the island.
00:07Here in Su Ao Township in southern Yilan, over 120mm has been falling each hour, washing
00:14out roads, and in some places, submerging the ground floor of building.
00:24Water control infrastructure is overwhelmed by the constant downpour.
00:27It's been left to the military and firefighters to rescue stranded people.
00:47The storm hasn't even made landfall yet, and yet scenes like those from Su Ao show it's
00:52already striking Taiwan.
00:54Precautions have been taken.
00:56Over 8,000 people across the country have evacuated in preparation, and 12 cities and counties
01:01have cancelled work and classes.
01:04Fifty-eight international flights and 210 domestic flights are cancelled.
01:09Still the National Fire Agency has already counted 51 injuries across the country due to the storm.
01:16On especially high alert is Hualien on the east coast.
01:19This is a mountainous region prone to flooding and landslides.
01:23In September, a typhoon triggered a sudden flood when a barrier dam burst.
01:28Nineteen people died.
01:29Five more are still missing.
01:31Here, the Ma Tai An River, the same river linked to the last flood, has already burst its banks,
01:37flooding the nearby village of Mingli and sweeping away a whole shipping container.
01:42Forecasters say the storm is already weakening, and will weaken further after landfall.
01:47But in the areas the storm has been battering though, there is still more to come as it hits Taiwan.
02:03Devin Tsai and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
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