Large wave crashing over a sea wall as Typhoon Kong-rey neared the coast in Taitung.STR/AFP/Getty Images
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Businesses and schools across Taiwan were closed Thursday as Typhoon Kong-rey, the largest storm to directly hit the island in nearly 30 years, brought destruction when it made landfall in the early afternoon.
Heavy rains and strong winds caused mudslides, flooding and electricity outages, particularly on Taiwan’s eastern side. State-owned Taiwan Power Co. reported the storm had cut power to more than 650,000 households as of Thursday evening.
The high winds and steady rain brought down power lines, washed out roads, tore the roofs off buildings and toppled street signs, light poles and trees. In Taipei Thursday evening, metal pieces were peeling off some buildings and any objects not tied down had turned into projectiles, whipping down streets and alleys and toppling scooters, a favourite mode of transport for Taiwanese commuters.
Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported Kong-rey had claimed one life and injured 73 people across the island as of early afternoon Thursday. It said a total of 9,658 people have been evacuated and 91 emergency shelters set up within 12 municipalities.
Taiwan shut down for the arrival of strong Typhoon Kong-rey on Oct. 31 with all cities and counties declaring a day off for what is expected to be the largest storm in 30 years.
Reuters
Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest storm to hit Taiwan since 1996, the island’s Central Weather Administration said earlier this week. It labelled Kong-rey a “strong typhoon,” the highest rating it has.
Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center said winds on Thursday in southeastern Taitung County were recorded as high as 17 on the Beaufort wind force scale; that part of the measurement system is for gusts greater than 200 kilometres an hour.
The centre urged people to avoiding going outside and in particular to avoid visiting the coastline, rivers and mountainous areas. Two missing Czech hikers in Taiwan’s Taroko National Park were later found to be taking shelter in a tent to ride out the storm.
“I also hope that the whole country will co-operate to avoid disasters and not engage in dangerous behaviour such as wave watching during the typhoon” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te wrote on Facebook.
Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported one woman died Thursday after the truck she was riding in was struck by a falling tree near Nantou County’s Ren’ai Township. It said the woman, a 56-year-old foreign national, suffered cardiac arrest from her injuries and efforts to resuscitate her at a Taichung hospital were unsuccessful.