Heavy rain is expected to swell a landslide-formed lake in Hualien, Taiwan, and authorities have started moving people out of eight villages downstream — bad news for residents already living under the threat of a sudden flood.

• A yellow alert was issued after forecasts showed more than 200mm of rain over the next 24 hours in the lake's catchment area.
• Eight villages in Wanrong Township and Fenglin Town are under precautionary evacuation, with the elderly and vulnerable moved first.
• The lake is already overflowing, and the county's emergency response center has been raised to its second-highest level.
• Bridges and the railway line near the creek face traffic restrictions, irrigation gates are being shut, and no one is allowed into the riverbed.
• If rain keeps coming, the alert goes red and evacuation becomes mandatory — 44 households, 88 people, with troops, ambulances, and police already requested.

Outlook: Whether the alert jumps to red depends entirely on the next day of rainfall, and forecasts are close to the trigger point.