Typhoon Kong-rey arrived in force in Taiwan and has already caused one death and 73 injuries. The most extensive typhoon to hit Taiwan in decades is expected to continue affecting the island through Friday.
The powerful typhoon Kong-king killed one person and injured 73 in Taiwan this Thursday, where it caused the closure of schools and offices and the mobilization of tens of thousands of troops.
The typhoon, accompanied by gusts of 184 kilometers per hour and torrential rains, hit the southeast of Taiwan, the least populated part of the island, which has 23 million inhabitants, around midday (4:00 a.m. in Lisbon).
Even before your arrival, Waves 10 meters high were observed and at least 27 people were injured due to bad weatherwhich caused landslides, the National Fire Agency reported, without offering more details.
Initially described as the most powerful typhoon of the year, Kong-rey is now at the same intensity as Typhoon Gaemi, the strongest storm to hit Taiwan in the past eight years, when it arrived in July.
With a radius of 320 kilometers, Kong-rey is considered the largest to reach Taiwan in almost 30 years.
Schools and offices were closed today in Taiwan as residents prepared for the storm.
Taiwanese tech giant TSMC said it had “activated usual typhoon preparedness procedures” at its IC factories and did not expect any “significant impact” on its business. The streets of Taipei, battered by rain and strong winds, are practically deserted.
Until Friday, more than a meter of rain could fall in the most affected areas.
Forecasters have warned of “destructive” winds from Kong-rey and around 35,000 soldiers are on hand to help with relief efforts.
On Wednesday, dozens of boat services and domestic flights were canceled and authorities ordered evacuations in eight counties and cities, including Yilan, Hualien and Taitung.
According to Chu Mei-lin of the Central Meteorological Administration, the storm is expected to weaken as it reaches the coast and move towards the central mountains before crossing the Taiwan Strait, which is expected to “severely” affect the island. on Friday. the morning.
Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang expressed concern about the fate of two Czech tourists who were hiking in the Taroko Gorge near Hualien and could not be reached by mobile phone on Wednesday.
Taiwan is accustomed to tropical storms, which are frequent between July and October, but it is “unusual for such a powerful typhoon to hit the island so late in the year,” said meteorologist Chang Chun-yao.
According to scientists, climate change is increasing the intensity of typhoons, with torrential rains, flash floods and very strong gusts of wind.
Kong-rey will be the third typhoon to hit Taiwan since July. This summer, Gaemi killed 10 people and injured hundreds, causing widespread flooding in the southern city of Kaohsiung.
This typhoon was followed by Krathon, which devastated southern Taiwan in early October, causing destructive winds, flooding and landslides that left at least four people dead and hundreds injured.
Source: Observadora
