Typhoon “Nesat” is heading straight for Taiwan. After the Central Weather Bureau issued a maritime typhoon warning at 8:30 a.m. on the 28th, the Shei-Pa National Park Administration and the Fifth Brigade of the Fifth Special Police Corps promptly initiated an early dissuasion mechanism for the popular Daba Jianfeng hiking route. Before the maritime warning was issued, they had already persuaded all 85 hikers from 17 teams staying at Jiujue Mountain Hut to descend the mountain early to avoid being stranded in the mountains due to the approaching typhoon.
The Fifth Brigade of the Fifth Special Police Corps stated that during the heavy rainfall on June 2, the main trail to Daba Jianfeng, known as the “Peak of the Century,” the East Section of the Dayuling Forest Road, was blocked by landslides caused by the downpour. This trapped 52 hikers in the Daba Mountain area for three days. The brigade and the Shei-Pa administration then developed plans to initiate the early dissuasion mechanism.
At 6 a.m. this morning, officers from the brigade’s Guanwu sub-station and personnel from the Guanwu Management Station set up caution and control lines at the entrance of the East Section of the Dayuling Forest Road and the Madala Stream hiking trailhead, posting typhoon warning notices to discourage hikers from ascending the mountain. Meanwhile, another team from the brigade conducting high-mountain conservation patrols in the Daba Mountain area, upon receiving the alert, also acted ahead of schedule last night. Together with management staff from Jiujue Mountain Hut under the Hsinchu Forest District Office, they individually persuaded the hikers staying there and successfully convinced all guests at the mountain hut to evacuate. Currently, hiking teams are descending on foot along the East Section of the Dayuling Forest Road.
The Fifth Brigade of the Fifth Special Police Corps pointed out that the entire 19-kilometer stretch from the East Section of the Dayuling Forest Road to the Madala Stream hiking trailhead consists of a hiking trail and is not open to tourist vehicles. Hikers wishing to reach Daba Jianfeng generally need to walk 19 kilometers from Guanwu to the trailhead. Due to the unstable conditions of the East Section of the Dayuling Forest Road, which is prone to falling rocks and landslides when it rains, hikers are urged to evacuate the mountains early while the weather is still clear and before the typhoon rains arrive, in order to avoid being trapped in unexpected situations.
The Shei-Pa administration noted that over 200 hikers were still active in the mountains before noon. After coordination and persuasion efforts, nearly all had evacuated by around 5 p.m., including hiking teams that had originally planned to take shelter in place but chose to descend early.
(China Times)