Flooding continues across southern, eastern Taiwan; over 4,000 evacuated

Heavy rain brought by a low-pressure system and strong southwesterly winds triggered widespread flooding, landslides and road damage across central, southern and eastern Taiwan on Monday, 24 August 2026, disrupting rail services and prompting mass evacuations.

Central and local authorities said more than 4,000 residents have been evacuated from high-risk mountain areas, primarily in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County.

Kaohsiung

Continuous downpours caused road collapses in Kaohsiung's Cianjhen, Renwu and Gangshan districts. A sinkhole measuring three metres long, two metres wide and 1.2 metres deep opened on Guangxi Road in Cianjhen.

Potholes on Bade 1st Road in Renwu punctured the tyres of several passing vehicles.

Local officials had evacuated 2,648 people as of Monday morning, as 119 red alert debris-flow warnings were triggered in mountainous areas.

In Tianliao District, a landslide near Neian Bridge on Sunday afternoon, 23 August 2026, left more than 30 residents temporarily stranded before clearance operations began.

Pingtung

Neighbouring Pingtung County reported severe urban and agricultural flooding, particularly in Wandan, Chaojhou and Donggang townships, where water levels reached thigh height on several major roads.

County authorities evacuated 713 residents from eight townships as of Monday morning: Sandimen, Majia, Taiwu, Laiyi, Chunri, Shizi, Mudan and Manjhou. Of those, 131 were accommodated in shelters, while the remainder stayed with relatives.

Flooding forced traffic controls on multiple roads. In Donggang, water reached about 50cm deep on Zhongzheng Road. A guava and banana farmer in Wandan said he was unable to inspect his orchards because the only access road was flooded.

Tainan

In Tainan, 24-hour accumulated rainfall exceeded 400mm in Yongkang and Rende districts. Rising water levels along the Sanye River caused repeated flooding in surrounding low-lying areas, forcing the temporary closure of both ramps to the Rende Interchange on National Freeway No. 1.

Flooding also inundated roads near An Nan Hospital, where firefighters used inflatable boats to transport about 200 people seeking medical treatment.

Continuous rain caused a side wall of the Great East Gate, a national historic site constructed in 1725, to collapse early Monday morning after rainwater seeped into its base.

The city government evacuated 567 residents as a precaution after 18 debris-flow-prone streams were placed under red alert and a further 19 under yellow alert. Of those evacuated, 517 stayed with relatives, while 50 were housed by district offices.

Hualien

In Hualien, where some southern townships recorded more than 300mm of rainfall, surging water in the Siouguluan River washed away the temporary Yuchang access road connecting Yuli and Changliang.

Firefighters were searching for a hospital security guard reported missing after his mobile phone signal was last detected near the crossing.

Authorities also closed several mountain roads and temporary bridge crossings in southern Hualien as a precaution.

At the Wanli River barrier lake nearby, water levels dropped by 4.7 metres, reducing stored volume by about one million tonnes, although authorities maintained a red alert for the river channel.

Landslides and railways

Across Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi, Pingtung, Taitung and Hualien counties, the Ministry of Agriculture's Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation Agency (SWCA) issued red or yellow alerts for 374 potential debris-flow streams, along with warnings for 15 large-scale landslide sites.

Transportation services were heavily affected. Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) announced that all express trains on the Eastern Line and South Link Line would remain suspended for the rest of Monday, while local trains would continue to run depending on rainfall conditions.

The Water Resources Agency (WRA) said it had received 395 reports of flooding nationwide as of 6am Monday, mostly in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung.

Nearly 90 percent of affected areas had gradually drained, and 37 large pumping machines were deployed to assist local governments.

The agency said it would continue monitoring the Wanli River barrier lake and regional water supplies as Typhoon Saudel approaches.