Typhoon Podul prompts evacuation of nearly 2,000 in Taiwan, central and southern regions brace for impact
The typhoon is expected to make landfall along the lightly-populated southeast coast tomorrow before sweeping across the island and into the Taiwan Strait, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
Average wind speeds at the centre of the storm could reach up to 133 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 166kph, the agency said.
Around 31,000 soldiers were ready to assist in typhoon preparations as well as rescue and relief efforts, the defence ministry said.
Local carriers Uni Air and Mandarin Airlines said they have cancelled all domestic flights for tomorrow.
Among the most affected areas will be the eastern counties of Hualien and Taitung, the central county of Chiayi, southern regions and the outlying islands of Kinmen, forecaster Chu Mei-lin told a briefing.
'Everyone should be aware of the threat of strong winds and heavy rains from tomorrow until the early morning of the 14th,' Chu said.
Nearly 700 people will be evacuated from their homes in Hualien and there are plans to relocate around 1,100 people from the mountains of the southern city of Kaohsiung, government officials said.
Kaohsiung and the neighbouring county of Pingtung could be drenched with a cumulative 400-600 millimetres of rain from today to Thursday, another forecaster said.
Other areas could receive more than 350mm of rain.
Swathes of central and southern Taiwan are still recovering from the impact of Typhoon Danas and torrential rain in recent weeks.
Typhoon Danas, which hit Taiwan in early July, killed two people and injured hundreds as the storm dumped more than 500mm of rain across the south over a weekend.
That was followed by torrential rain from July 28 to August 4, with some areas recording more than Taiwan's rainfall of 2.1 metres for 2024.
The week of bad weather left five people dead, three missing, and 78 injured, a disaster official said previously.
Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. — AFP
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