Schools, offices and the Taiwan Stock Exchange are closed on Wednesday as Typhoon Krathon approaches, which is due to make landfall on Thursday morning and is already causing torrential rain in the south and east of the island, according to Taiwanese meteorologists.
Typhoon Krathon, with sustained winds of 173 km/h and gusts of up to 209 km/h, was located 140 km southwest of the southern city of Kaohsiung at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. Swiss time). , according to the Central Meteorological Administration (CWA).
Overnight, he was downgraded from the third and highest category to second. It should make landfall Thursday morning near Kaohsiung or Tainan (southwest), meteorologists now predict, after previously considering the date of Wednesday.
“This typhoon is moving very slowly,” described Cheng Chia-ping, head of the CWA, adding that the typhoon is expected to make landfall on Thursday around 10 a.m. local time before weakening quickly.
Nearly 10,000 people were evacuated from areas considered at risk as a precautionary measure, the Interior Ministry announced.
President Lai Ching-te warned Tuesday that the typhoon could cause “catastrophic damage” and urged Taiwanese to be “particularly vigilant.”
All domestic flights and ferry trips are canceled on Wednesday, and 250 international flights have been suspended.
Nearly 40,000 soldiers are standing ready to take part in possible relief operations, the Ministry of Defense said.
In Kaohsiung, authorities began distributing sandbags and materials to help clear out the water.
