Cities and counties of declared the day off, canceled flights and closed off financial markets on Thursday as the island braced for the arrival of what it expects will be the strongest storm in 30 years — Kong-rey.
At least 27 people have been injured, trees have been knocked down and four mudslides recorded, the National Fire Agency said. It did not provide more details.
Biggest typhoon in decades
The fast-moving typhoon is expected to make landfall on the sparsely populated east coast around 2:00 pm (0600 GMT), as per Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) state weather forecaster. Strong winds and torrential rainfall is likely to affect nearly all of Taiwan.
“With the typhoon approaching, we should beware of the strong winds near the centre,” Chu Mei-lin from the CWA said in a briefing. “Its impact on the entire Taiwan will be quite severe.
Once a super typhoon, Kong-rey weakened overnight but retains the strength of a category 4 hurricane with winds of over 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour), according to storm tracking website Tropical Storm Risk.
Taiwan’s weather forecaster said it will be the biggest typhoon in size to hit the island since 1996. It called Kong-rey a “strong typhoon” which is the most powerful storm level in Taiwan.
Rainfall of up to 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) is expected in eastern Taiwan.
Preparations for Typhoon Kong-rey
Taiwan’s defense ministry has put 36,000 troops on standby to help with rescue efforts.
Some 1,300 people have been evacuated from high-risk areas, the government said. Meanwhile the National Fire Agency said evacuations in eight counties had begun on Wednesday night with over 6,200 people moved by the evening.
Nearly 300 international flights stand canceled, as per Taiwan’s transport ministry, along with all domestic flights and 139 ferry services to and from surrounding islands.
Taiwan’s high speed railway is still operating albeit with a much reduced service.
Typhoons are common around this time of the year in Taiwan.
In early October, killed four people and injured over a hundred. In July, killed at least 10 people, injured hundreds and triggered widespread flooding in the southern seaport of Kaohsiung.
mk/wd (AFP, Reuters)
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