Damp week ahead, heaviest rains expected Friday

Damp week ahead, heaviest rains expected Friday

2024-04-24

A weather front brought downpours across the west coast on Wednesday. As of 5 p.m., the heaviest rainfall was recorded on Henglong Mountain in Miaoli, with accumulation reaching 160 millimeters. In Taipei’s Neihu, strong winds toppled a large tree, briefly halting traffic. Widespread flooding was also reported.

Huang En-hung
CWA forecaster
The rainfall will be most significant on Friday. Intermittent showers or thunderstorms are expected nationwide. The central and southern parts of the island, marked in red, are at risk for heavy rain or even extremely heavy rain. The north and northeast can also expected localized heavy rain.

The Central Weather Administration forecasts a respite from the rain Thursday morning. But this break will be short-lived. By the afternoon, another front is set to sweep in with even more downpours, and so keep your rain gear close at hand.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

鋒面發威! 估週五雨勢最大中南部恐現局部豪雨

2024-04-24

受到鋒面影響，西半部各地都出現強降雨。到下午五點前，日累積雨量最多的，出現在苗栗橫龍山160毫米。在內湖甚至有大樹被吹垮，交通一度中斷，鋒面發威，各地豪雨成災。

[[氣象署預報員黃恩鴻]]
“週五這一天降雨最明顯的，全台各地一樣，都是有短暫陣雨或雷雨出現，特別是在中南部地區，整個紅色的區域，預估是有局部大雨，甚至是豪雨發生，在北部及東北部，就是有局部大雨出現的情形。”

氣象署預估，週四上半天，降雨就會稍微趨緩，不過，空檔時間不多，中午過後，另一波鋒面報到，可能出現豪大雨，提醒民眾出門別忘了攜帶雨具，最好避免前往山區。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
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Ahead of the presidential inauguration on May 20, Secretary of the House Republican Conference Lisa McClain has led a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan. The group met with President-elect Lai Ching-te on Tuesday.

Lai Ching-te
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In the future, in addition to implementing the four-pillar plan for peace I mentioned previously, my administration will continue the efforts of Tsai Ing-wen to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We will also collaborate more with likeminded nations such as the U.S. and promote deeper Taiwan-U.S. ties.

Waves of U.S. lawmakers have visited in recent weeks to show support for Taiwan. McClain had high praise for Taiwan’s people on Tuesday.

Lisa McClain
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The people of Taiwan have built a vibrant democracy, a thriving economy. Their success stands as testament to the power of freedom and the indomitable human spirit. It’s a linchpin of stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

Dan Kildee
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… to get the Taiwan Relations Act approved by Congress 45 years ago. The U.S. Congress and the American people stand with the people of Taiwan. There’s no disagreement between Republicans and Democrats on this point.

McClain also spoke on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China.

Lisa McClain
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My hope would be that he talks about the importance of peace. China’s not our friend, economically, educationally and militarily. We need to make sure that we stand strong as a leader.

Amid China’s frequent provocations in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, and East China Sea, U.S. officials voiced hope for closer cooperation with Taiwan and other likeminded countries to safeguard stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

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KMT bill seeks to extend lifespan of nuclear power plants

The KMT wants to prolong nuclear power generation in Taiwan. It’s pushing a bill that will make it possible to extend the lifespan of nuclear power plants, by removing the deadline for extension applications. The bill is drawing strong opposition, with civic groups set to stage a protest on April 27. A DPP lawmaker slammed the proposal, saying the KMT was being irresponsible over the issues of nuclear waste and nuclear safety.

Broadcasting Corporation of China Chair Jaw Shaw-kong and KMT lawmakers rally in support of nuclear power.

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How many outages have there been in Taoyuan? They have also happened in Taipei’s Eastern Shopping District, and in Tainan. There isn’t enough electricity. Haven’t we had a lot of earthquakes recently? They struck Hualien hard. Were the nuclear power plants affected? The lifespan of the first, second, and third nuclear power plants should be extended, and construction should resume on the fourth plant after an expert evaluation.

Taiwan has already decommissioned its first and second nuclear power plants, based in New Taipei’s Shimen and Wanli, respectively. Two units at the third plant in Pingtung are slated for decommissioning this July and next May, when their 40-year licenses expire. Under current regulations, applications to extend the service of nuclear power plants must be submitted five years before a license expires. The KMT argues that there should be no time limit on renewal applications, and that nuclear units should be allowed to operate as long as safety conditions are met. But environmental groups have repeatedly demonstrated over issues including nuclear waste storage, the functionality of aging units, and their seismic resistance.

Hung Sun-han
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The KMT is focused on using nuclear power. But they aren’t showing a responsible attitude about problems including nuclear waste. That is everyone’s biggest concern. Since Taiwan is in an earthquake-prone area, how can we ensure nuclear safety?

Chen Tung-yang
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We will of course respect any amendments passed by the Legislative Yuan.

With the KMT advocating for extending the plants’ lifespan, civic groups plan to demonstrate outside the Legislative Yuan on April 27 to voice their opposition.

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Tiny green lights flicker and flash in a sea of black. Visitors are delighted by these fireflies dancing in large groups. Even if you’ve seen them before, you probably haven’t seen them in Taipei City.

Member of public
It’s a real surprise, because I think it’s very hard to cultivate fireflies here in Tianmu. They have a green light on their bum, so we call them “green bums.”

Member of public
I think it’s surprising. We used to go Jingtong and that area to see them.

These ponds are outside the National Training Institute for Farmers’ Organizations. They realized the ponds might be suitable for firefly larvae, because they had fresh running water and snails. In March, 1,000 aquatica ficta fireflies were hatched in the area. Come April, the clouds of dancing “green bums” are visible every night after sundown.

Hsi An-hung
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We hope to achieve an ecological equilibrium, and for it to be environmentally sustainable. With the support of New Taipei City Farmers’ Association, who have been guiding us through it, we brought in some firefly larvae and set them free here. There’s the good water quality they need, and plenty of food, so they were able to grow into maturity successfully. It’s a wonderful surprise for our own employees to find the fireflies flying like this in our own city.

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Lee En-ming
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This crack was caused by the earthquakes on April 23.

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