Hualien Heavy-Rain Watch, Highway 20 Blocked at Wulu; Wanli Creek Channel Red Alert Continues
Original Chinese title: 花蓮大雨 watch、海端霧鹿台20阻斷；萬里溪河道 red 續行
As of 08:22 on September 5, the nationwide Indigenous-area scan identified two threshold-level official changes in eastern Taiwan. The Highway Bureau's real-time provincial-highway feed lists a Central Weather Administration heavy-rain advisory for Hualien County, moving Xiulin, Wanrong, Zhuoxi and other directly affected Indigenous areas to weather / watch. In Haiduan Township, Highway 20 at 180K+531 in Wulu was blocked in both directions by a fallen tree at 22:38 on September 4. Although the original notice projected reopening at 08:00 on September 5, the Highway Bureau still lists the blockage as active and no official clearance notice has been identified, so transport / watch remains. Separately, the Highway 20 Temporary Route 105 section from Meishankou to Xiangyang reopened under normal traffic-control rules at 07:00. The existing Wanli Creek barrier-lake red alert continues only inside the river-channel control zone and does not make all of Wanrong Township red.
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08:22 Update: Hualien Heavy-Rain Watch, Highway 20 at Wulu Still Blocked; Meishankou-Xiangyang Reopens
Information time: September 5, 2026, 08:22.
Official sources: Highway Bureau and Southern Region Branch; Central Weather Administration information relayed in the Highway Bureau's real-time provincial-highway feed; Water Resources Agency; Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation; Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Hualien Branch; Directorate-General of Personnel Administration.
Affected Indigenous areas and alert levels: The Highway Bureau's September 5 real-time feed lists a Central Weather Administration heavy-rain advisory for Hualien County. Xiulin, Wanrong and Zhuoxi, together with other Indigenous areas directly affected by the Hualien advisory, therefore move to `weather / watch`. This is a weather watch, not red.
In Taitung, Highway 20 at 180K+531 in Wulu, Haiduan Township, was blocked in both directions by a fallen tree at 22:38 on September 4. The official notice projected normal traffic at 08:00 on September 5, but as of this scan the Highway Bureau still lists the road as blocked and no formal clearance notice has been identified. Haiduan therefore remains `transport / watch`; the projected reopening time must not be treated as confirmation that the road has reopened. Separately, Highway 20 Temporary Route 105 from 0K to 44K, Meishankou to Xiangyang, reopened at 07:00 under normal traffic-control rules. These are different road sections and must be assessed independently.
Nationwide regional assessment: In the north, no new threshold-level official change was identified for Wulai, Fuxing, Jianshi, Wufeng, Nanzhuang or Tai'an; Jianshi's existing County Road 60 `transport / watch` remains under observation. In the central region, no new threshold-level official change was identified for Heping, Ren'ai, Xinyi or Alishan, which remain `monitoring`. In the south, no new red or level-one inundation escalation was identified; the Meishankou-Xiangyang South Cross-Island Highway section has returned to normal controlled access, while other existing works or site restrictions remain subject to their authorities. In the east, Hualien adds `weather / watch` and Haiduan's Wulu blockage remains `transport / watch`. The existing Wanli Creek barrier-lake red alert continues only within the river-channel control zone; it does not make all of Wanrong Township red.
Other official alerts: The Water Resources Agency currently shows no inundation, river-water-level or reservoir-release alert. The latest ARDSWC report, Report No. 5 for the September 1 heavy-rain event, records zero red and zero yellow debris-flow alerts and zero red and zero yellow large-scale-landslide alerts; that event ended September 2. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration's September 5 update at 08:02 states there is no work/class suspension information. No new official evacuation, sheltering, broad transport suspension, major agricultural loss or water/power public-service interruption was identified in this scan.
Recommended action: In Hualien mountain areas, watch for intense short-duration rain, falling rocks, landslides and rapidly rising streams. Entry to the Wanli Creek river-channel red-alert zone remains prohibited. Before traveling to Haiduan or using Highway 20 at Wulu, check the Highway Bureau's live road status; do not infer reopening merely because the projected restoration time has passed. Although Meishankou-Xiangyang has returned to normal controlled access, follow the current traffic-control hours, weather conditions and on-site instructions. Official real-time notices govern.
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This English translation is based on the Traditional Chinese emergency brief and official notices from the Highway Bureau and its Southern Region Branch, Central Weather Administration information relayed by the Highway Bureau, Water Resources Agency, Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Hualien Branch, and Directorate-General of Personnel Administration. It does not replace official notices.