The Central Weather Bureau issued a sea typhoon warning for Typhoon Saola at 23:30 on August 28, 2023. The Central Disaster Response Center was activated at Level 2.
Following this, Kenting National Park Administration also elevated its response level to Level 2 starting from 23:30 on August 28.
Kenting National Park Administration has closed all coastal beaches, and entry to ecological protection areas is prohibited.
Typhoon Saola (most south) coming to Kenting (or not coming?)
In this photo, released by Kenting National Park Administration, we see a lifeguard installing a beach closure notice in Baishawan Beach.
Afterwards, the beach was cordoned off with barriers and marked by red flags, prohibiting tourists from approaching the shore. The equipment of the vendors and game operators was also entirely removed, leaving the entire beach clean and tidy.
However, this situation has caused some concern for the local residents who own boats. The local temples had already set up for temple fairs and puppet shows, and the stages were all prepared. As the gusts of wind grew stronger, the masters quickly rushed to secure the stages in place.
No puppet show this weak due to the typhoon Saola
Originally scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, the temple fair was moved up to Tuesday.
At the same time, this guesthouse had to undergo renovation due to the aging exterior walls, and workers were promptly called in to dismantle them:
No matter how far the camera lens reaches, all homes have weathered storms. In our homes in the Kenting region, every household has waterproof floodgates.
Despite ongoing drainage improvement projects, large-scale pumps have been deployed and stationed in the face of this typhoon:
Meanwhile Houbihu Fishing Harbour is also bracing for the impact:
In the video above, from CH51, we see that most of the fishing boats in the Houbihu Fishing Port have returned and docked here in preparation. We can observe some of the typhoon precautions taken by these fishing boats. For example, on this boat, you can see that they’ve used ropes to connect the boat bodies together:
They’ve used several ropes tightly wound and secured to the dock to prevent the boats from swaying and colliding in case of larger waves caused by the typhoon’s impact on Taiwan’s weather.
If you notice, most of the fishing boats in this harbor have taken such protective measures. As for the specifics, currently, the center of the typhoon is in the southeast of Taiwan, but it’s moving steadily northwest. It’s estimated that it will start affecting Taiwan’s weather tonight or possibly by the first half of tomorrow:
Kenting is already being affected by a periphery of Typhoon Saola