Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s main port city, on Thursday, bringing torrential rain and strong winds to the island’s south.
Trees were downed by high winds and roads were flooded, leading to the closure of schools and businesses. At least two people died in the storm and thousands were evacuated.
The typhoon is expected to move slowly northward and weaken into a tropical depression by Friday before reaching the capital, Taipei. He then had to cross the Taiwan Strait en route to the Chinese coast. Winds were strong Thursday in Taipei, but there was little rain.
In southern Pingtung, the typhoon hampered relief efforts after a fire ravaged a hospital, killing nine people.
Residents of Kaohsiung were ordered by the Central Meteorological Administration (CWA) to “take shelter as soon as possible” before Krathon made landfall with wind gusts of 162 km/h (100 mph).
The CWA later downgraded Krathon to a tropical storm, but warned that it was still expected to bring strong winds to Taiwan and heavy rain in some areas.
The Kaohsiung city government said offices and schools would remain closed Friday after torrential rain and strong winds cut power and water supplies and caused flooding in some areas.
About 11,000 people were evacuated across Taiwan on Thursday, according to the Interior Ministry.
Krathon reached Taiwan after first blowing up an isolated group of Philippine islands, leaving one dead, one missing and eight injured, and damaging more than 300 homes, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of the Philippines. country.
The source
