Taiwan went into lockdown Thursday as Super Typhoon Kong-re approached, forcing thousands of people to flee one of the most powerful storms to hit the island in years.
Waves as high as 10 meters hit the sparsely populated, mountainous eastern coast, where the fast-moving Kong-re was expected to hit within hours.
According to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Kong-re had sustained winds of about 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph).
The typhoon is currently stronger than Typhoon Gemi, which was the most powerful typhoon to hit Taiwan in eight years when it made landfall in July.
“With the typhoon approaching, we must be careful of strong winds near the center,” Chu Mei-lin of the Central Meteorological Administration, the state’s weather forecaster, said at a briefing.
“The impact on all of Taiwan will be severe.”
Work and schools were suspended across Taiwan on Thursday as people prepared for the storm.
The streets of Taipei were largely deserted as heavy rain and fierce winds lashed the capital.
“This storm feels very powerful,” Kevin Lin, a 52-year-old office worker, told AFP while enjoying a day off at home.
“I have become accustomed to the many typhoons that hit Taiwan and I am not afraid.”
soldiers are on standby
At least 27 people have been injured in the wild weather, with fallen trees and four landslides recorded, the national fire agency said on Thursday, without giving details.
Authorities were still trying to contact two Czech tourists, believed to be hiking in the Taroko Gorge in Hualien, after they could not be contacted on their satellite and mobile phones.
Over 400 domestic and international flights were cancelled, while all ferry services were suspended. Disaster officials said about 18,000 homes lost power, but most have been reconnected.
Kong-Re was traveling at 28 kilometers per hour (16 mph) and headed toward Hualien and Taitung counties.
Chu said the typhoon is expected to slow down after hitting land and then move across the island before exiting the Taiwan Strait in the evening.
With a radius of 320 kilometers, Kong-Re is on track to become the most widespread severe typhoon in nearly 30 years, the Central Weather Administration said.
More than a meter of rain could fall in the worst-hit areas of the east coast by Friday as the seasonal monsoon also drenched the island of 23 million people earlier in the week, prompting warnings of landslides.
Authorities began evacuations in vulnerable counties and cities on Wednesday, including Yilan, Hualien and Taitung, according to the national fire agency.
As of Thursday, about 8,600 people had been evacuated from their homes.
Forecasters warned of “catastrophic” winds from Kong-re, and about 35,000 troops were on standby to help with relief efforts.
Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, causing heavy rains and flash floods and strong typhoons.
Kong-re will be the third typhoon to hit Taiwan since July.
Gemi killed at least 10 people, injured hundreds and caused widespread flooding in the southern port of Kaohsiung.
It was followed by Krathon in early October, which killed at least four people and injured hundreds, triggering landslides, floods and record-strong typhoons.
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