KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — A slow-moving typhoon is approaching Taiwan This led to the closure of schools and offices for the third day in a row on Thursday, as authorities asked people to stay at home.
Hurricane KrathonHigh winds and heavy rain reached about 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of the main port city of Kaohsiung on Thursday morning, moving northeast at 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) per hour, according to the island’s Central Weather Administration. .
It is expected to make landfall later Thursday on Taiwan’s densely populated west coast. The hurricane, which has maximum sustained winds near the center of 137 kilometers per hour (85 mph) and gusts of 173 kilometers per hour (107 mph), is expected to continue to weaken as it moves inland.
The typhoon brought Kaohsiung, a city with a population of 2.7 million, to a standstill during the past three days. Shops and restaurants were closed, and residents stayed away from markets and ports. All domestic flights have been suspended for the past two days.
Storms and heavy rain shook the empty streets.
Many residents woke up Thursday to cellphone alerts urging them to take shelter from high winds of up to 134 kilometers per hour (83 mph), with gusts of more than 166 kilometers per hour (103 mph). The Meteorological Department posted a message on Facebook warning residents of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties not to go out when the eye of the storm passes over their area and the weather calms down for a short period, because winds and storms will be active again after that.
Weather-related events attributed to Krathon injured at least 123 people across the island, according to the Taiwan Fire Department. Two people died, one after hitting falling rocks on the road in the country’s southeastern Taitung County, and the other while pruning tree branches in Hualien City. Two others are still missing.
Thousands were evacuated from areas prone to mudslides and landslides. Nearly 40,000 soldiers were on standby to assist in the rescue efforts.
Mountainous areas in the south of the island have seen up to 169 cm (5.5 feet) of rain over the past five days.
The Chinese Meteorological Agency said that some eastern and southern parts of Taiwan are expected to witness very heavy rain, reaching 40 cm (1.3 feet) in the next 24 hours.
Typhoons rarely hit Taiwan’s western coast, instead affecting the mountainous eastern side of the island. The typhoon is expected to slowly move north and weaken into a tropical depression by Friday before reaching the capital, Taipei.
Hurricane Monday Hit the northern Philippine IslandsOfficials said four people were killed and at least five thousand others were displaced.
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