Taiwan to evacuate hundreds as Typhoon Podul barrels towards south-east
Authorities were also working to evacuate those whose homes were damaged by a July typhoon that brought record winds.
TAIPEI - Authorities in Taiwan were scrambling on Aug 12 to evacuate hundreds ahead of a possible landfall by Typhoon Podul on the island's south-eastern coast, while nearby areas battle to recover from floods and record winds brought by previous storms.
Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous, sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific.
The mid-strength Typhoon Podul, packing gusts of as much as 155kmh, was heading for the south-eastern city of Taitung as it intensifies and was expected to make landfall nearby on Aug 13 , weather officials said.
In the eastern county of Hualien, nearly 700 people will be evacuated from their homes to guard against the risk of overflow from a natural dam formed after a landslide caused by a previous typhoon.
'We must especially urge people living downstream to follow government instructions and evacuate,' said Mr Chu Chung-jui, an official of the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction.
'Authorities are closely monitoring this landslide lake,' he told a Taipei briefing for the typhoon taskforce.
After making landfall, the storm was expected to hit the densely populated western coast before heading for China's southern province of Fujian later this week.
As much as 600mm of rain was forecast in southern mountainous areas over the next few days, the Central Weather Administration said.
Authorities in the south were also working to evacuate those whose homes were damaged by a July typhoon that brought record winds and damaged the electricity grid in a rare direct hit to Taiwan's west coast.
More than a year's rainfall fell in a single week this month in parts of southern Taiwan, setting off widespread landslides and flooding, with four deaths. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Cape Verde floods kill at least eight people
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox PRAIA - At least eight people were killed after flooding on Cape Verde's Sao Vicente island overwhelmed emergency services and cut key roads, a regional civil protection councillor said on Tuesday. On Monday morning torrential rains lashed the northern island in the Atlantic archipelago located off West Africa, swamping roads and sweeping away vehicles and people. Municipal councillor Jose Carlos da Luz told a state broadcaster seven people had died in floods and one person was electrocuted, adding that three others were still missing. In a report on Monday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies put the death toll at nine and said 1,500 people had been displaced on Sao Vicente. Sao Vicente usually records 116 mm of rain in a year, according to Cape Verde's meteorology institute. But early on Monday 193 mm fell in just five hours, according to Ester Brito, an executive at the institute. "It is a rare situation because what was recorded is above our 30-year climatological average," she told Reuters, adding that in just two hours more rain fell than the island typically receives annually. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday that Tropical Storm Erin was located about 280 miles (455 km) west-northwest of Cape Verde and packing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 kph). Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit Singapore NEL resumes service after hours-long power fault; single-track service on Sengkang-Punggol LRT Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter Singapore Scoot to launch flights to Chiang Rai, Okinawa, Tokyo-Haneda, boost frequency to other places Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court Interior Minister Paulo Rocha said on Monday that floodwaters disrupted transport across Sao Vicente and severed the main road to Cesaria Evora International Airport, though the facility remained operational. Rockfalls also blocked traffic. "It was a difficult night marked by panic and despair," Rocha told public radio, adding that first responders were inundated with distress calls. Rescue and cleanup operations were ongoing, but Rocha said authorities were mobilising resources that would allow the island to quickly return to normal life. REUTERS
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Wildfire near Spanish capital under control as one person dies
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox People rest at a help center a day after they were evacuated from the Spanish town of Tarifa due to wildfires, in Zahara de los Atunes, Spain, August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo MADRID - Firefighters have contained a wildfire near the Spanish capital Madrid, in the Tres Cantos area, which killed one person and prompted the evacuation of 180 people, regional authorities said on Tuesday. Favourable overnight conditions allowed for the fire to be contained, the Community of Madrid said in a statement. A man who had been taken by helicopter to the La Paz hospital after suffering burns on 98% of his body, later died, the Community of Madrid said. The fire affected more than 1,000 hectares. A prolonged heatwave in Spain continued on Tuesday, with temperatures set to reach 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 F) in some regions, according to meteorology service AEMET. Scientists say the Mediterranean region's hotter, drier summers put it at a high risk of wildfires. Once fires start, dry vegetation and strong winds can cause them to spread rapidly and burn out of control, sometimes provoking fire whirls. REUTERS
AsiaOne
11 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Taiwan to evacuate hundreds as Typhoon Podul barrels towards southeast, Asia News
SUAO, Taiwan — Authorities in Taiwan were scrambling on Tuesday (Aug 12) to evacuate hundreds from the likely path of Typhoon Podul, expected to make landfall on the island's southeastern coast, while nearby areas battle to recover from the havoc caused by previous storms. Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous, sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific. The mid-strength Typhoon Podul, packing gusts of as much as 155 kph (96 mph), was heading for the southeastern city of Taitung as it intensifies and was expected to make landfall nearby on Wednesday, weather officials said. In the eastern county of Hualien, nearly 700 people will be evacuated from their homes to guard against the risk of overflow from a natural dam formed after a landslide set off by a previous typhoon. "We must especially urge people living downstream to follow government instructions and evacuate," said Chu Chung-jui, an official of the National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction. "Authorities are closely monitoring this landslide lake," he told a Taipei briefing for the typhoon taskforce. After making landfall, the storm was expected to hit the densely populated western coast before heading for China's southern province of Fujian later this week. As much as 600mm of rain was forecast in southern mountainous areas over the next few days, the Central Weather Administration said. More than a year's rainfall fell in a single week this month in some southern areas, unleashing widespread landslides and flooding, with four deaths. Authorities were also working to evacuate those whose homes were damaged by a July typhoon that brought record winds and damaged the electricity grid in a rare direct hit to Taiwan's west coast. Swimmers on a beach near the northeastern port of Suao were enjoying the last of the fine weather before warnings of high seas went out and the coast guard cordoned off coastal areas. "Here in the east, we always have typhoons or earthquakes, so we are not really scared of those, but rather used to them," said Yu How-ling, a 30-year-old beach visitor. [[nid:720429]]
