Taiwan hit by ‘most powerful’ typhoon in eight years

Schools closed and thousands evacuated. Typhoon Gaemi hit Taiwan on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, July 25. It is expected to be the “more powerful” The cyclone to hit the island in eight years. Packing gusts of 190 kilometers per hour, Gaemi was initially expected to make landfall in the northeast, in an area including the capital Taipei, before hitting China on Thursday.

A forecaster from Taiwan’s meteorological service, however, explained that the typhoon “advanced less quickly, so that the precise time (of its passage) is difficult to determine.” Even before its arrival, the typhoon brought torrential rain and strong winds that killed a motorcyclist who was crushed by a falling tree in the southern city of Kaohsiung and a woman in Hualien province. By the evening, nearly 200 people had been injured, authorities said. Earlier, the typhoon hit Japan and the Philippines, killing six people.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has urged everyone to “put safety first.” “I hope that through our joint efforts, the impact of the typhoon can be reduced (…). I also encourage my fellow citizens across the country not to go out, unless necessary, during the typhoon, and especially not to dangerous places.”

Heavy rainfall with strong winds was observed from my place as strong typhoon Gaemi approached Taiwan #gaemi pic.twitter.com/G9lWJ4Ob3l

— Nguyen Cong Nghia (@NguyenC99180975) July 24, 2024

Taiwanese authorities declared Wednesday a public holiday to minimize risks. They had already canceled some annual military exercises the day before due to the weather. Train and ferry services were temporarily halted and hundreds of international and domestic flights were canceled Wednesday. Massive waves also hit the coast of Yilan County in the northeast. Taiwan is used to frequent tropical storms from July to October, but experts say climate change has increased their intensity.