Schools, offices and the Stock Exchange are closed on Wednesday in Taiwan, where two people died and more than a hundred were injured, as Typhoon Krathon approaches, which is due to make landfall Thursday morning and is already causing torrential rains in the south and east of this island.
The typhoon, packing winds of 144 km/h with gusts of up to 180 km/h, was located 100 kilometers southwest of the southern city of Kaohsiung at 9 p.m. (1 p.m. GMT), according to the Meteorological Administration Central (CWA).
During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, it was downgraded from the third and highest category to the second.
It should make landfall on Thursday around 10:00 a.m. (02:00 GMT) near the large port of Kaohsiung or the city of Tainan (southwest), before quickly weakening, meteorologists predict.
“This typhoon is moving very slowly,” said Cheng Chia-ping, who heads the CWA.
– Two dead, more than a hundred injured –
The government announced that offices and schools on the island would remain closed on Thursday, while around ten thousand people were evacuated as a precaution from areas considered at risk.
The authorities recorded two deaths, two missing and more than 100 injured and reported the temporary interruption of electricity supply to nearly 55,000 homes.
After falling while pruning trees in eastern Hualien County on Tuesday, a 70-year-old man was taken to hospital where he died on Wednesday.
A 66-year-old man, hospitalized Monday near Taitung in the southeast after his truck hit a huge rock that fell on the road, also died Wednesday.
Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai urged Taiwanese to stay home and be vigilant: “Krathon moves very slowly, which extends the time during which it can cause damage to Taiwan (…). It is necessary to strengthen vigilance in the southern and eastern regions affected by continuous rains.”
All domestic flights are canceled on Wednesday and will remain so on Thursday while 250 international flights have been suspended.
Nearly 40,000 soldiers are standing ready to take part in possible relief operations, the Defense Ministry said.
– Injured in the Philippines –
In Kaohsiung, authorities began distributing sandbags and materials to help drain the water. The streets are virtually empty and leaning trees struggle against the heavy rains and strong winds that blow through this port city.
At the nearly deserted international airport, staff installed metal bars to reinforce the entrance doors in anticipation of the typhoon. Some tourists try to reschedule their flight.
“We went to the airport counter but, unfortunately, it was not in service (…). We have to stay at least two or three more days,” Chan Ka-woh told AFP, a Malaysian tourist.
Powerful waves crashed onto the coast of Kaohsiung and seawater poured onto the road near the picturesque Sizihwan Bay.
In July, Typhoon Gaemi, the most powerful to hit the island in eight years, triggered widespread flooding in this city and left at least ten dead in Taiwan.
In the Philippines, authorities announced Wednesday that eight people were injured and another missing due to the passage of Krathon in the north of this archipelago.
More than 5,400 people had to leave their homes, most of them in the northern regions of Ilocos and Cagayan Valley, according to the same source.
Typhoons are common in the region at this time of year. However, a recent study concluded that they are forming closer to shore, gaining intensity more quickly and persisting longer after making landfall due to climate change.
