Typhoon Krathon heads toward Taiwan with winds up to 173 kph. Thousands evacuated as authorities prepare for heavy rain and potential landslides.
Typhoon Krathon is slowly heading towards Taiwan, bringing strong winds and a lot of rain as people get ready for what’s coming.
In preparation for the storm, thousands of people from areas that are low or high up have had to leave their homes.
Taitung County has seen a whopping 93 centimeters (3 feet) of rain in just four days, and the port city of Kaohsiung has gotten 29 centimeters (11.4 inches) before the typhoon hits.
Right now, the typhoon is at its strongest, with winds of 173 kph (108 mph) and gusts going up to 209 kph (130 mph). It’s expected to hit Taiwan’s busy west coast early Thursday, which is pretty rare since most typhoons usually hit the island’s higher, mountainous areas.
To deal with the storm, schools and government offices are closed, and all flights within Taiwan have been canceled.
In Hualien County, which is on the east coast, over 3,000 people have been moved out of places that could be dangerous from landslides and more people are being moved out in Tainan and Pingtung County.
Typhoon bringing heavy rain slowly heads toward Taiwan, where 4,000 have evacuated #International #New_Taipei_City #Rain #Taipei #Taiwan #Toward #United_Kingdom https://t.co/e6oic5nDTh
— IdeallyaNews (@IdeallyaNews) October 2, 2024
As of Wednesday noon, the typhoon was about 130 kilometers (81 miles) away from Kaohsiung, moving northeast at about 5 mph.
Even though Krathon is starting to calm down, the people in charge are still warning that it could still cause a lot of trouble when it hits.
Kaohsiung Mayor, Chen Chi-mai, is telling people to avoid areas that could flood or have mountains, reminding everyone of the damage Typhoon Thelma did in 1977, which killed 37 people.
In Kaohsiung, businesses are closed for a second day as people are stocking up on things like bread, meat, and instant noodles to get through the storm.
About 40,000 soldiers are ready to help with rescue and helping people who need it after the storm passes.
Meanwhile, Typhoon Krathon has already caused a lot of damage in northern Philippine islands, killing four people and making at least 5,000 people have to leave their homes.