TAIWAN | Gov’t orders evacuations as typhoon Fung-Wong approaches

Commuters are ferried on a three-wheeled tricycle locally known as “sidecar” after heavy monsoon rains spawned by tropical storm Fung-Wong flooded Manila

Taiwan evacuated more than 2,700 people from endangered areas as Typhoon Fung-Wong, which left at least 10 dead in the Philippines and caused Manila’s worst flooding in two years, approached packing wind gusts as strong as 120 kilometers per hour.
Fung-Wong, Phoenix in English, was centered about 370 kilometers south-southwest of Taipei yesterday afternoon, moving northeast at 12 knots according to the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center. After passing over Taiwan, it will probably turn to a northwest track toward China’s east coast today, the center forecasts.
There were no reports of casualties in Taiwan as of last night, the National Fire Agency said, while more than 9,000 houses were without power as of 2:55 p.m. local time, according to state-run Taiwan Power Co. Ninty-six international flights were canceled due to the storm, it reported.
Almost 200,000 people remain in evacuation centers in the Philippines as the death toll from Fung-Wong rose to 10 with seven others injured, according to the latest statement from the national disaster-management agency.
The storm submerged as much as 25 percent of Metro Manila in floods, Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino said. ABS-CBN showed footage of people wading through chest-high waters and residents trapped on the upper floors of their homes, while many were being rescued by boats.
Typhoons Fung-Wong and Kalmaegi, which struck a week earlier, will cost the Philippines 1.14 billion pesos (USD26 million) in farm output, according to preliminary estimates by the Department of Agriculture.
Monsoon rains intensified by Fung-Wong dumped 268 millimeters (10.6 inches) of water over the northern Philippines in 24 hours, equivalent to half a month’s rain, the weather bureau said Saturday. Provinces north of the capital, including Nueva Ecija, Zambales and Tarlac, are still at severe risk of floods, it said. Ian Sayson and Yu-Huay Sun, Bloomberg

HK’s air pollution reaches ‘serious’ level on storm

Hong Kong’s air pollution reached the “serious” level yesterday, the worst in almost two months, as the approaching tropical storm led to haze.
The pollution, as measured by the Air Quality Health Index, reached the highest level of 10 plus at seven monitoring stations, while the other stations had readings that ranged from 8 to 10, according to the Environmental Protection Department website. Yesterday’s readings were in the “serious” or “very high” health risk categories.
Tropical storm Fung-wong is sweeping toward Taiwan from the Philippines, with its approach raising the temperature and leading to still air around Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. Nitrogen dioxide, ozone levels and the amount of suspended particles in the air have jumped, according to data on the government website.
“The intense sunshine and high temperature have enhanced photochemical smog activities and formation of ozone during the daytime, resulting in higher pollution levels,” the Hong Kong government said in a statement.
The last time the pollution level in Hong Kong reached this level was on July 22, when Typhoon Matmo hit the region.