Today is a Typhoon day. That means that all schools, government offices etc are closed and it’s recommended that you stay indoors for your own safety. Typhoons frequently hit Taiwan between July and September, often causing casualties in mountainous regions prone to landslides and flash floods.

Today’s typhoon is called Sinlaku, which refers to the legendary Micronesian Goddess Kosrae, is packing winds of more than 100 mph and is expected to bring 1000mm of rain.

Update Sept 15 2008: International Community Radio Taipei reports, Typhoon Sinlaku ended up leaving twelve dead, ten missing, and 17 injured. It also forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people and left some 36 thousand residents in northern Zhanghua without running water.

International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT), operated by the Taipei International Community Cultural Foundation (TICCF), is a good source of information if your Mandarin is limited. Personally I can’t stand their DJs. You can just check their website for updates and avoid their hideous programming.

On a positive note, ICRT does have a lot of give aways. I have friends who always seem to be eating out for free because they won prizes on ICRT. For Mandarin scholarship students it could be a way to improve you standard of living. Good luck!

Other useful Typhoon links:

http://www.typhoon2000.ph/

http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V6e/index.htm

http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm