TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Torrential rains battered Chiayi County's mountainous areas Monday (July 29), triggering severe road disruptions across Taiwan's central and southern regions. The Central Emergency Operation Center (中央災害應變中心) Taiwan's disaster response agency reported Thursday (July 31) that continuous downpours unleashed flooding, landslides, and roadblocks, forcing the evacuation of 3,705 people from affected areas.
The disaster response center held its ninth emergency meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday (July 31), led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽) who connected with local government representatives via video conference. The Water Resources Agency (WRA, 水利署) Taiwan's water management authority noted that Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Kaohsiung City, and Pingtung County experienced extreme rainfall from Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
Emergency officials opened 13 shelters across affected regions, accommodating 254 displaced residents while continuing to monitor rainfall patterns and coordinate disaster response efforts. Landslides struck multiple locations throughout central and southern mountainous regions, triggering 338 red alerts for debris flows and eight warnings for large-scale collapses. Wednesday night, a vehicle plunged into a valley on the Southern Cross-Island Highway after the roadbed eroded, stranding five people who await rescue operations.
Transportation officials preemptively closed eight sections of provincial highways and reported four additional road blockages, urging highway authorities to strengthen traffic control measures throughout the disaster zones. Chunghwa Telecom's (CHT, 中華電信) Taiwan's largest telecommunications provider experienced mobile phone service disruptions, prompting the emergency center to request the company disseminate public advisories through multiple channels informing users that rebooting devices can restore service. ◼