The biggest typhoon to hit Taiwan in decades has crossed over the island, leaving behind a path of destruction but minimal reported deaths or injuries.
Typhoon Kong-rey was the largest in size to make landfall in Taiwan since 1996, and also struck later in the typhoon season, which typically stretches from May to October, than any other typhoon since record-keeping began in the 1950s.
Kong-rey had been declared a “strong typhoon” by Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) before it made landfall near the city of Taitung on Taiwan’s south-eastern coast, at about 1.40pm on Thursday.
Although it weakened slightly, the storm maintained typhoon strength as it crossed Taiwan’s central mountain range and entered the Taiwan strait to the island’s west. Its outer bands covered the length of Taiwan’s main island and were still bringing destructive rain and winds well into the evening. Trees, power lines, and buildings were damaged or brought down, including in the capital, Taipei, hundreds of kilometres to the north of the storm’s eye. Severe landslides and flooding were reported, mainly in regions closer to Kong-rey’s centre.
“It didn’t rain too heavily at first, but suddenly I heard the sound of flooding, which sounded like thunder or a train passing by,” said one resident outside a building that had been reduced to rubble.
Workplaces, schools and some transport services were shut across Taiwan on Thursday in preparation for Kong-rey’s arrival, and authorities had advised people to stay inside because of the high risk of landslides, storm surges, destructive winds and flooding, with more than 1.2 metres of rainfall expected. More than 200 injuries had been recorded as a result of the typhoon by the time it made landfall, and one person died after the vehicle they were in hit a fallen tree. Almost half a million homes were without power on Thursday afternoon.
Storm trackers measured Kong-rey as the equivalent of a category 3 to 4 hurricane. As it approached the coast, reports measured gusts of more than 225kph (140mph) and sustained winds of 183kph near its centre. The large typhoon – with a radius of more than 320km and an eye of about 64km – prompted a warning for all of Taiwan’s main and outer islands.
Lanyu Island, which sits off Taitung and was in the direct path of Kong-rey, reported record high sustained winds of more than 213kph, as well as gusts above 260kph before wind speed indicators went offline.
“The size of the storm is very large and the winds are high,” said a CWA forecaster, Gene Huang.
More than 9,000 people were evacuated. Scheduled military exercises were cancelled owing to the typhoon – for the second time this year – and more than 30,000 troops were diverted to stand by for disaster response. By Thursday morning, authorities had already issued 63 landslide warnings, and recorded four landslips. Two Czech nationals who could not be reached after they went hiking inside Taroko national park, near Hualien, were later found unharmed.
Hundreds of domestic and international flights were cancelled or rescheduled, and fishing boats and ferries recalled to harbours on Wednesday. Ship traffic trackers showed the usually busy waters around Taiwan were almost entirely empty on the island’s east side.
The last typhoon to hit Taiwan directly was Krathon, earlier this month, which killed four people and injured more than 700.
Additional reporting by Chi-hui Lin and Reuters
Source: theguardian.com
