Latest news with #TaiwanTyphoon
Reuters
4 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Typhoon Podul blows through southern Taiwan leaving one person missing
TAIPEI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Typhoon Podul blew through Taiwan's south on Wednesday packing winds of up to 191 km per hour (118 mph) and leaving one person missing, as a large swathe of the island shut down and hundreds of flights were cancelled. Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous east coast facing the Pacific. Podul slammed into the southeastern city of Taitung around 1 p.m. (0500 GMT), passed through the southern tip of the island and then passed into the Taiwan Strait some five hours later, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said. One person was reported missing and 33 others injured, the government said. Nine cities and counties announced the suspension of work and school for Wednesday, including the southern metropolises of Kaohsiung and Tainan. In the capital Taipei, home to Taiwan's financial markets, there were blustery winds but no impact. Authorities also evacuated 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. The government said more than 5,500 people had been evacuated ahead of the typhoon's arrival. All domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday - 252 in total - while 155 international ones were axed too, the transport ministry said. Taiwan's two main international carriers China Airlines ( opens new tab and EVA Air ( opens new tab said their cancellations were focused on routes out of Kaohsiung, with some flights from the island's main international airport at Taoyuan stopped as well. The storm is next expected to head for China's southern province of Fujian. As much as 600 mm (24 inches) 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.
Malay Mail
4 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
Reuters
4 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Typhoon Podul slams into southern Taiwan, hundreds of flights cancelled
TAIPEI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Typhoon Podul hit Taiwan's sparsely populated southeast coast on Wednesday packing winds of up to 191 kph (118 mph), as a large swathe of southern and eastern parts of the island shut down and hundreds of flights were cancelled. Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous east coast facing the Pacific. Podul slammed into the southeastern city of Taitung around 1 p.m. (0500GMT), Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said. "Destructive winds from typhoon expected. Take shelter ASAP," read a text message alert issued to cellphone users in parts of Taitung early on Wednesday. The alert warned people of gusts above 150 kph (93 mph) in the coming hours. Nine cities and counties announced the suspension of work and school for Wednesday, including the southern metropolises of Kaohsiung and Tainan. In the capital Taipei, home to Taiwan's financial markets, there were blustery winds but no impact. Authorities are 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. The government said more than 5,500 people had been evacuated ahead of the typhoon's arrival. All domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday - 252 in total - while 129 international ones were axed too, the transport ministry said. Taiwan's two main international carriers China Airlines ( opens new tab and EVA Air ( opens new tab said their cancellations were focused on routes out of Kaohsiung, with some flights from the island's main international airport at Taoyuan stopped as well. After making landfall, the storm is expected to hit Taiwan's much more densely populated western coast before heading for China's southern province of Fujian later this week. As much as 600 mm (24 inches) 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.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Southern Taiwan shuts down with evacuations and flight cancellations as Typhoon Podul approaches
TAIPEI, Aug 13 — A large swathe of southern and eastern Taiwan shut down on Wednesday and hundreds of flights were cancelled ahead of the arrival later in the day of Typhoon Podul, with thousands of people evacuated. Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous, sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific. The mid-strength Typhoon Podul, packing wind gusts as strong as 191 kph, was heading for the southeastern city of Taitung as it intensifies and was expected to make landfall nearby on Wednesday afternoon, weather officials said. 'Destructive winds from typhoon expected. Take shelter as soon as possible,' read a text message alert issued to cellphone users in parts of Taitung early on Wednesday. The alert warned people of gusts above 150 kph in the coming hours. Nine cities and counties announced the suspension of work and school for Wednesday, including the southern metropolises of Kaohsiung and Tainan. In the capital Taipei, home to Taiwan's financial markets, there was no impact. Authorities are 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. The government said almost 5,000 people had been evacuated ahead of the typhoon's arrival. All domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday, while Taiwan's two main international carriers China Airlines and EVA Air cancelled a handful of international flights as well. After making landfall, the storm is expected to hit Taiwan's much more 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. — Reuters
Reuters
4 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Southern Taiwan shuts down ahead of arrival of Typhoon Podul
TAIPEI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - A large swathe of southern and eastern Taiwan shut down on Wednesday and hundreds of flights were cancelled ahead of the arrival later in the day of Typhoon Podul, with thousands of people evacuated. Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous, sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific. The mid-strength Typhoon Podul, packing wind gusts as strong as 191 kph (118 mph), was heading for the southeastern city of Taitung as it intensifies and was expected to make landfall nearby on Wednesday afternoon, weather officials said. "Destructive winds from typhoon expected. Take shelter as soon as possible," read a text message alert issued to cellphone users in parts of Taitung early on Wednesday. The alert warned people of gusts above 150 kph (93 mph) in the coming hours. Nine cities and counties announced the suspension of work and school for Wednesday, including the southern metropolises of Kaohsiung and Tainan. In the capital Taipei, home to Taiwan's financial markets, there was no impact. Authorities are 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. The government said almost 5,000 people had been evacuated ahead of the typhoon's arrival. All domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday, while Taiwan's two main international carriers China Airlines ( opens new tab and EVA Air ( opens new tab cancelled a handful of international flights as well. After making landfall, the storm is expected to hit Taiwan's much more densely populated western coast before heading for China's southern province of Fujian later this week. As much as 600 mm (24 inches) 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.
