The government, having apparently lost faith in th…
The government, having apparently lost faith in the power of my water-resistant shoes, cancelled work and school in Taipei today because of the typhoon currently passing by our north coast. I was thinking the storm would veer off at the last minute like every other storm since Nari, but I guess my shoes are showing their age; it got through anyway. It’s been raining heavily with occasional gusts of strong wind all day; the worst isn’t due until tomorrow.
I spent the morning cleaning house and doing online stuff, but this afternoon I put on the most waterproof get-up I own –my old TVBS raingear– and went out to take a look.
The Xindian River was almost unrecognizable. The usually placid Bitan stretch was now a rushing brown torrent. The wind was shaking the suspension bridge in disturbing ways as I walked along. Below, the water had consumed the steps and was lapping along the promenade. All of the swan boats were up on the side of the levy. A couple of guys with nets were trying to fish along the riverside. Branches blown off trees littered the ground.
I walked over the bridge and back, passing a couple of people along the way. Then I walked along the bank towards the temples up the river. A police cruiser was driving around with its lights on, seemingly to warn people about walking along the banks of the river as I was doing. I kept an eye out for any sudden rise in the water. Just yesterday a student died in a flash flood.
I walked back along the promenade, pausing to allow a nervous cat to pass under the eaves of the shut cafes. Down by the RT mart I watched the water shooting over the damn. Either the floodgates were open or they were overwhelmed; I couldn’t tell which. I wanted to take pictures, but it’s so wet my camera would have been soaked the instant I took it out.
It’s dark now, and the rain and wind are still lashing my windows. I just heard that work is cancelled for tomorrow as well. I wonder what kind of scene I’m going to wake up to tomorrow morning.
