Latest news with #TaitungCounty
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Typhoon Podul slams Taiwan with 191kph winds, mass evacuations
KAOHSIUNG, Aug 13 — Typhoon Podul slammed into south-eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, with powerful winds and heavy rain lashing the island. The typhoon had wind gusts of 191 kilometres per hour as it made landfall in Taitung County at around 1 pm (0500 GMT), the Central Weather Administration said. Podul is expected to sweep across the island and into the Taiwan Strait later Wednesday, battering central and southern areas still recovering from storms last month. More than 5,500 people living in the typhoon's path have been evacuated from their homes, while fishermen have secured their boats. 'We are worried about this typhoon,' Kaohsiung fisherman Huang Wei told AFP as he used more ropes to tie down his boat and checked on other vessels hours ahead of Podul making landfall. 'We had already made general typhoon preparations yesterday, but this morning I woke up and saw news reports that the typhoon has intensified to be as strong as the last, (Typhoon) Krathon,' Huang said. 'Last time, the two boats behind us weren't tied properly and hit my boat.' Krathon slammed into Kaohsiung in October, with wind gusts of 162kph. Typhoon Podul is expected to dump torrential rain across mountainous areas of Kaohsiung City and neighbouring Pingtung County, as well as lightly populated Hualien and Taitung counties, the CWA said. Taitung resort worker Lo Wan-chun told AFP by telephone that locals feared the storm could be as strong as Typhoon Nepartak in 2016, when the county recorded its strongest gusts since 1901. 'After 8am, the storm began to intensify,' she said, before Podul hit. 'It's still getting stronger. You can hear the wind is loud right now. 'We don't recommend guests go out.' All domestic flights across the island of 23 million people have been cancelled for Wednesday, along with dozens of international journeys. High-speed rail services on the west coast have been reduced while train services in the southeast have been cancelled. Many ferry services have also been suspended, and businesses and schools across the south are closed. More than 31,500 soldiers were ready to assist in typhoon preparations as well as rescue and relief efforts, disaster officials said. The CWA expects Kaohsiung and Pingtung could be hit with a cumulative 400-600 millimetres of rain from Tuesday to Thursday. 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
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Typhoon Podul intensifies as it nears Taiwan
Thousands of people took shelter and fishermen secured their boats in southern Taiwan on Wednesday as Typhoon Podul intensified on its approach to the island. The storm is packing sustained winds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour at its center and is 'strengthening,' Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lin Ting-yi told AFP. Podul is expected to make landfall in sparsely populated Taitung County around noon (0400 GMT) before crossing the island and entering the Taiwan Strait. More than 5,500 people have been evacuated, and mountainous areas of Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, Hualien, and Taitung could see torrential rain, the CWA said. The storm's gusts have reached 191 kilometers per hour, stronger than October's Typhoon Krathon. Domestic flights and dozens of international journeys have been canceled, ferry services suspended, and schools and businesses across the south shut down. Over 31,500 soldiers are on standby to assist with preparations and relief efforts. The CWA expects Kaohsiung and Pingtung to receive 400–600 millimeters (16–24 inches) of rain from Tuesday to Thursday. Taiwan, which is prone to tropical storms from July to October, has already endured severe weather this summer, including Typhoon Danas in early July and torrential rains late last month. Scientists say climate change is driving more intense storms and increasing the risk of destructive flooding.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Typhoon Podul intensifies as its near Taiwan
Thousands of people sheltered and fishermen secured their boats across storm-battered southern Taiwan on Wednesday as Typhoon Podul intensified on its approach to the island. The typhoon is packing wind speeds of 155 kilometres (96 miles) per hour at its centre and "is strengthening", Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lin Ting-yi told AFP. Podul is on track to hit lightly populated Taitung County at around noon (0400 GMT) before sweeping across the island and into the Taiwan Strait. "We are worried about this typhoon," Kaohsiung fisherman Huang Wei told AFP as he used more ropes to tie down his boat and checked on other vessels. "We had already made general typhoon preparations yesterday, but this morning I woke up and saw news reports that the typhoon has intensified to be as strong as the last, (Typhoon) Krathon," Huang said. "Last time, the two boats behind us weren't tied properly and hit my boat." Krathon slammed into Kaohsiung in October, with wind gusts of 162kph. Podul has gusts of 191kph, Lin said. More than 5,500 people have been evacuated from their homes ahead of Podul, disaster officials said Wednesday, as the typhoon threatens to pound central and southern regions that are still recovering from storms last month. Mountainous areas of Kaohsiung City and neighbouring Pingtung County, as well as Hualien and Taitung counties, could see torrential rain, the CWA said. All domestic flights across the island of 23 million people have been cancelled, along with dozens of international journeys. Many ferry services have been suspended and businesses and schools across the south closed. Typhoon Danas, which hit Taiwan in early July, killed two people and injured hundreds as the storm dumped more than 500mm (about 20 inches) 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. bur-aw/amj/cwl
CNA
6 days ago
- Climate
- CNA
Typhoon Podul intensifies as it nears Taiwan
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: Thousands of people sheltered and fishermen secured their boats across storm-battered southern Taiwan on Wednesday (Aug 13) as Typhoon Podul intensified on its approach to the island. The typhoon is packing wind speeds of 155kmh at its centre and "is strengthening", Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lin Ting-yi told AFP. Podul is on track to hit lightly populated Taitung County at around noon before sweeping across the island and into the Taiwan Strait. "We are worried about this typhoon," Kaohsiung fisherman Huang Wei told AFP as he used more ropes to tie down his boat and checked on other vessels. "We had already made general typhoon preparations yesterday, but this morning I woke up and saw news reports that the typhoon has intensified to be as strong as the last, (Typhoon) Krathon," Huang said. "Last time, the two boats behind us weren't tied properly and hit my boat." Krathon slammed into Kaohsiung in October, with wind gusts of 162kmh. Podul has gusts of 191kmh, Lin said. More than 5,500 people have been evacuated from their homes ahead of Podul, disaster officials said on Wednesday, as the typhoon threatens to pound central and southern regions that are still recovering from storms last month. Mountainous areas of Kaohsiung City and neighbouring Pingtung County, as well as Hualien and Taitung counties, could see torrential rain, the CWA said. All domestic flights across the island of 23 million people have been cancelled, along with dozens of international journeys. Many ferry services have been suspended and businesses and schools across the south closed. 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 Jul 28 to Aug 4, with some areas recording more than Taiwan's rainfall of 2.1m for 2024. The week of bad weather left five people dead, three missing, and 78 injured, a disaster official said previously.
