Heavy rain is pounding southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung, and the city has moved to its highest emergency alert level to keep flooding from doing real damage.

• A strong southwest wind flow and a low-pressure band are dumping rain on Kaohsiung, with up to 400mm expected in 24 hours.
• Mayor Chen Chi-mai toured pump stations, flood-retention ponds and drainage ditches across the city's northern districts.
• Crews have spent the past few days clearing storm drains, pulling out tens of thousands of blockages and hundreds of tons of trash.
• The city says pumps and retention ponds are on standby and being adjusted in real time as water levels change.
• Officials frame the buildout — bigger retention ponds, upgraded pumps, better drainage — as a response to more extreme rainfall from climate change.

Outlook: Rain is expected to keep falling in the near term, so the emergency center stays fully activated and flood risk remains high in low-lying areas.