Hard to Set Holiday Hours due to Unpredictable Typhoon: Ko|今天颱風假放2小時惹議柯:颱風難預測

發布時間：2018/7/10 16:58 更新時間：2018/7/10 18:03

C. Chuang

Several cities and counties in northern Taiwan have announced that school and work be suspended starting at 4pm on the tenth. However, the decision was under heavy criticism. Residents say only giving two hours off would create inconvenience for parents and office workers. In response, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je said forecast is just a forecast, and it's impossible to satisfy everyone .

Typhoon Maria is set to arrive at Taipei City first. Yilan County government was first to announce that all school and work activities are suspended starting at 3pm on Tuesday. At 10am, several other northern cities made similar announcement: Taipei, New Taipei and Keelung announced the suspension of work and school starting at 4pm, whereas Taoyuan City suspended all shifts at noon. On the other hand, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je received criticism for giving only two hours off despite previous promises that government should avoid half off-days. Ko went to the Taipei City Disaster Prevention Center on Tuesday morning and listened to experts' briefings. He also pointed out that the exact hour of the typhoon's arrival is very unpredictable.

It's almost inevitable that the holiday hours will not coincide with the hour of the typhoon's arrival. To be honest, weather forecast is only a forecast. The forecast track only aims to predict a probability.

We are taking into consideration the potential problems with transportation, especially during peak traffic hours. This year's public servant exam lasted till around 3pm, and we were able to complete the entire process.

Interior Minister Yeh Jiunn-rong commented on the lack of a uniform standard for typhoon season holidays, saying that the central government will provide necessary information during typhoon season. He also said that the president has stressed that the R.O.C. army must be ready to help with rescue effort if necessary.

Whether it is the preventative evacuation before the typhoon, or potential rescue actions during the typhoon, the president has demanded that the military get ready for all potential scenarios.

Yeh Jiunn-rong stressed that the military is ready and will assist all city and county government when necessary.