Five-meter waves and thousands of evacuees as typhoon approaches

Five-meter-high waves hit the coast of Taiwan on Wednesday as Typhoon Kong-rey approaches, and meteorologists expect the storm to strengthen before reaching that island, making it the one of the strongest in years.

The gusts generated by Kong-rey already sometimes exceed 230 km/h as they approach the shore, according to the latest bulletin from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, a meteorological center of the American army.

The typhoon is expected to unleash “destructive” winds when it makes landfall on Thursday in southeastern Taiwan, the least populated part of this island of 23 million people already in the grip of the monsoon.

More than a meter of rain could fall between now and Friday in the most impacted regions, leading to the precautionary evacuation of thousands of people from their homes in the most vulnerable areas.

Kong-rey is currently more powerful than Typhoon Gaemi, the largest storm to hit Taiwan in eight years when it arrived in July.

More than 6,200 people evacuated

Taiwanese authorities on Wednesday closed schools and offices on outlying islands in eastern Taitung County, where the typhoon is expected to hit directly.

On Thursday, classes and work will be suspended in a number of cities and regions.

Dozens of ferry connections and domestic flights were also canceled on Wednesday.

Fishermen docked their boats at the port in the northern Yilan region. “Of course I’m worried, everything I own is here,” one of them, introducing himself under the name “Captain Chen”, told AFP.

The heaviest rains are expected on the eastern and northern coasts, as well as in the mountains of the central and southern regions, according to the Central Meteorological Administration.

Yilan and Hualien County in the east are expected to be the hardest hit, with cumulative rainfall from Tuesday to Friday expected to reach 800 to 1,200 millimeters, meteorologist Chang Chun-yao told AFP.

“Based on the predicted track of the typhoon, we advise Yilan, Hualien and Taitung to take precautions against possible landslides and debris flows in areas expected to receive heavy rains,” he said. added.

Authorities began evacuations on Wednesday in eight counties and cities, including Yilan, Hualien and Taitung, authorities said.

More than 6,200 people in total had to leave their homes in the evening.

In Yilan, soldiers were mobilized to fill sandbags and help residents protect their homes.

“The concern is all the greater as some reconstruction work after the previous typhoon has not yet started and it is necessary to be extra careful in the areas affected by the recent earthquakes,” noted Chen Chen- yu, the leader of a disaster monitoring team.

“Torrential rains”

Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang, for his part, expressed his concern about the fate of two Czech tourists who were hiking in the Taroko Gorge, near Hualien, who were unreachable on their mobile phones on Wednesday.

In the Philippines, more than 174,000 people fled when the typhoon passed through the island of Luzon (north), a few days after a storm that left at least 145 dead.

Kong-rey is moving at a speed of 20 km/h, the Central Meteorological Administration said.

As rain began to fall, residents of Taipei, the capital, rushed to markets to stock up on supplies ahead of the storm.

“When a typhoon comes, everyone cooks at home, so people buy more,” observed Ms. Tsai, a vegetable seller.

President Lai Ching-te urged people to remain vigilant and avoid going to the mountains or the sea.

“This typhoon is moving quickly and will bring strong winds and torrential rains,” he warned.

Taiwan is used to tropical storms, frequent from July to October, but it is “unusual for such a powerful typhoon to hit the island this late in the year,” notes meteorologist Chang Chun-yao.

Climate change is increasing their intensity, with heavy downpours, flash floods and very strong gusts of wind, scientists say.

Kong-rey will be the third typhoon to hit Taiwan since July.

Gaemi killed 10 people and injured hundreds, causing widespread flooding in the southern city of Kaohsiung.

This typhoon was followed by Krathon, which swept across southern Taiwan in early October, accompanied by destructive winds, flooding and mudslides that left at least four dead and hundreds injured.