Schools, offices and Taiwan Stock Exchange closed Wednesday as typhoon approaches Krathonwhich is due to make landfall Thursday morning and is already generating torrential rains in the south and east of the island, according to Taiwanese meteorologists.
The typhoon Krathonwith sustained winds of 162 km/h and gusts of up to 198 km/h, was located 120 kilometers southwest of the southern city of Kaohsiung at 3 p.m. (0700 GMT), according to the Administration Central Weather Service (CWA).
Overnight, he was downgraded from the third and highest category to second. It should make landfall Thursday morning near Kaohsiung or Tainan (southwest), meteorologists now predict, after previously considering the date of Wednesday.
“This typhoon is moving very slowly,” described Cheng Chia-ping, head of the CWA, adding that the typhoon is expected to make landfall on Thursday around 10 a.m. (02 a.m. GMT) before weakening quickly.
PHOTO CHIANG YING-YING, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A car drives along the coast in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, as the typhoon Krathon is due to make landfall on Thursday.
10,000 evacuated
Nearly 10,000 people were evacuated from areas considered at risk as a precautionary measure, the Interior Ministry announced.
Across Taiwan, authorities on Wednesday recorded 70 people injured and two people missing, as well as the temporary interruption of electricity to nearly 36,000 homes.
Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai urged Taiwanese to stay home and be vigilant: “ Krathon moves very slowly, extending the time it can cause damage to Taiwan. […] It is necessary to strengthen vigilance in the southern and eastern regions affected by continuous rains. »
All domestic flights and ferry trips are canceled on Wednesday, and 250 international flights have been suspended.
Nearly 40,000 soldiers are standing by to take part in possible relief operations, the Defense Ministry said.
PHOTO WALID BERRAZEG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Taiwanese military personnel helps filling sand bags at a city government district office for distribution in anticipation of typhoon Krathon as it approaches Kaohsiung on October 1, 2024. (Photo by WALID BERRAZEG / AFP)
Wounded in the Philippines
In Kaohsiung, authorities began distributing sandbags and materials to help drain the water. The streets are virtually empty and leaning trees struggle against the heavy rains and strong winds that batter the port city.
At the nearly deserted international airport, staff installed metal bars to reinforce the entrance doors in anticipation of the typhoon. Some tourists try to reschedule their flight.
“We went to the airport counter, but unfortunately it was not in service. […] We have to stay at least two or three more days,” Chan Ka-woh, a Malaysian tourist who saw his flight canceled, told AFP.
Powerful waves crashed against the coast of Kaohsiung, and seawater poured onto the road near the picturesque Sizihwan Bay.
In July, the typhoon Gaemithe most powerful to hit the island in eight years, triggered widespread flooding in the city and killed at least 10 people in Taiwan – as well as around fifty in China in the torrential rains, a consequence of its passage, and in minus 40 in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Wednesday that eight people were injured and another missing due to the passage of Krathon in the north of the country.
More than 5,400 people had to leave their homes, most of them in the northern regions of Ilocos and Cagayan Valley, the same source said.
Typhoons are common in the region at this time of year. However, a recent study concluded that they are forming closer to shore, gaining intensity more quickly and persisting longer after making landfall due to climate change.