After authorities closed schools, offices and financial markets, evacuated thousands of people, grounded hundreds of planes and mobilized the military, Typhoon Kang-rae made landfall in Taiwan on Thursday afternoon, the most powerful storm to hit the island in nearly three decades. .
Kang-ray was the most powerful typhoon to hit Taiwan in 28 years, said Jean Huang, a forecaster at the island’s Central Meteorological Administration. The storm approached the island with maximum sustained winds About 126 miles per hour, Equivalent to a strong Category 3 hurricane, according to the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
As of Thursday afternoon, 73 injuries related to the typhoon’s strong winds and rain had been reported across the island, according to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency. A 56-year-old woman died in central Taiwan after a falling tree struck her and the truck she was traveling in at the time, the agency said.
As of Thursday morning, more than 9,600 people had been evacuated from the island’s 13 cities and counties, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior.
The whole island was there Under land and sea alert Thursday afternoon, which means winds of at least 39 mph are forecast to approach Taiwan in a few hours. Suggestions for this Too much rain And other extreme weather swept across the island, dropping nearly four feet of rain forecast Some fall in hilly areas.
“My plans are in disarray,” said Huang Shu-ding, 45, as he placed frozen chicken nuggets in a basket at a supermarket in Taipei.
Ms Huang said she had canceled a trip to southern Taiwan, where she had planned to visit her ailing father, because it was no longer safe to travel.
“Fortunately the people of Taiwan are very experienced in dealing with typhoons,” Ms Huang said, standing in front of a shelf of more than 80 per cent food. “I’m not too worried; The storm will pass soon.”
The storm’s effects were also felt in China, where meteorologists said Friday it could make landfall and bring strong winds and rain to several cities, including the country’s financial hub Shanghai.
Several train lines in China’s eastern Yangtze River Delta region were suspended on Thursday due to Kang-Ray. More than 4,000 emergency workers have been mobilized for rescue efforts in several southern provinces, according to government reports. Xinhua News Agency.
Kang-Rae hit Taiwan last week, crossing the northern Philippines where Typhoon Drami hit. The The Philippine government said The two storms combined on Wednesday killed at least 139 people and left at least 21 missing.
As the typhoon crosses Taiwan, the mountains running through the center of the island are expected to weaken the storm, causing most of the rain to fall on the eastern side of the island.
But even after passing through Taiwan, Kang-rae will remain a typhoon as it emerges through the Taiwan Strait toward southern Japan and China, where it could make landfall again on Friday.
As it approached, Kang-ray was already disrupting daily life in Taiwan.
As of Thursday afternoon, more than 500 domestic and international flights had been canceled in Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Transport. Some ferry services were suspended in southeastern Taiwan, and fishing boats were called ashore. The government has also banned the entry of mountaineers into the hilly areas.
In the east coast city of Hualien, which was hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in April, officials prepared supplies and vehicles to help evacuate people.
In the north-eastern district of Yilan, strong winds and rains arrived in the early hours of Wednesday morning. At Chuao Port in Yilan, which is usually crowded with military and civilian ships, a handful of ships docked in the harbor.
On social media, Taiwanese expressed concern that such a powerful storm would arrive so late in the year. Although hurricanes occur year-round, most storms form in the western Pacific from May to October.
Many fans of the popular Taiwanese pop band Mayday were subsequently distraught Cancelled Its concerts were scheduled on Friday and over the weekend.
Kang-ray approached Eastern Taiwan with a big eye. As the storm approaches land, it may become erratic with changes in its forward speed and direction, and may weaken slightly before making landfall, forecasters at the Joint Storm Warning Center said.
“Typhoon Kang-rae – A Climate Freak,” said an experienced typhoon chaser, James Reynoldswrote on social media ahead of the storm’s landfall. “Its path toward Taiwan and potential landfall intensity will make it a once-in-a-generation (if not more) storm.”
According to University of Miami researcher Brian McNoldy, the only typhoon equal to or stronger than a Category 2 typhoon to make a direct hit on Taiwan was Krosa on October 6, 2007. The storm knocked out power to nearly half a million homes, causing disruption. Air and sea transport on arrival ashore.
Claire Fu And John Yoon Contributed report.
