Tropical storm floods western cities in Taiwan
Tropical storm dumps more than 19 inches of rain on Taiwan, causing flooding in western cities
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Tropical Storm Kong-Rey battered Taiwan on Thursday, dumping more than 500 millimeters (19 inches) of rain on the heavily populated west coast and causing widespread flooding.
Kong-Rey skirted the island's east coast before heading north toward Japan. It is expected to fizzle out over the western Pacific without causing additional damage.
Particularly hard hit in Taiwan were the large west coast cities of Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung, where flooding in some areas reached second-story levels. In Tainan, officials evacuated 29 residents from a nursing home and cancelled some train services.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the storm.
Kong-Rey is the second major storm to hit Taiwan this month. Last week, a severe tropical storm dumped up to a meter (39 inches) of rain on the southern part of the island. High winds caused the cancellation of scores of international flights and in conjunction with the rain led to the disruption of high speed rail service between the capital of Taipei and Kaohsiung.