Taiwan is forced to close schools and offices due to a strong typhoon that struck on Tuesday. The weather phenomenon affecting the northern part of the Philippines is expected to affect the densely populated west coast – writes the AP.
So far, dozens of flights have been canceled and more than 500 people have been evacuated from landslide-prone mountainous areas. The Ministry of Defense emphasized that nearly 40,000 soldiers were mobilized for the rescue work.
Typhoon Krathon is expected to hit the major port city of Kaohsiung in the southwest of the island on Wednesday morning, then move across central Taiwan and northeast toward the East China Sea.
– announced the central meteorological office.
The effects of the typhoon are expected to be felt in the capital, Taipei, on Wednesday and Thursday.
The mayor of Kaohsiung, a city of 2.7 million people, asked residents to stay at home if necessary and avoid flood and landslide-prone areas near rivers, the coast and mountains. Up to 80 centimeters of rain is predicted in the surrounding mountainous areas.
Sandbags are filled in Kaohsiung on October 1, 2024 in preparation for Typhoon Krathon
Image: Reuters / ANN WANG
Mayor Chen Chi-mai emphasized that the Krathon will not be much weaker than the typhoon Thelma in 1977, which left 37 dead and 298 injured in the city.
The typhoon moved slowly towards the island, according to the meteorological office, it will hit Taiwan with sustained winds of 198 km/h and gusts of 245 km/h.
In the northern part of the Philippines, the typhoon has so far claimed one death and damaged more than 2,400 houses. 5 thousand people had to be evacuated from the area.
Taiwan’s densely populated west coast is rarely hit by typhoons, but rather affects the mountainous, eastern side of the island. In July, for example, Typhoon Gaemi caused landslides and floods and killed at least 11 people.
Hundreds of flights had to be canceled due to the devastating typhoon
The natural disaster caused power outages in more than two thousand households in the prefectures surrounding Tokyo. They started evacuating 18,000 people in the affected areas.
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Source: www.economx.hu
