The powerful typhoon, Khampi, has hit Taiwan, leaving a dead person and 527 injured, while strong winds have dropped trees, damaged roofs, and caused power cuts in thousands of homes.
The storm, which at its height was classified as supertayphoon and was considered one of the most powerful in the Pacific Ocean this year, is already weakening and moving north, heading toward the coast of China.
According to Taiwan’s Meteorological Central Administration, the typhoon was located about 170 miles [170 km] northeast of the island, having passed by the coast area of Yilan. Although its intensity has diminished, winds near the center of the storm continue to reach speeds of about 6 miles [126 km] per hour.
In some coastal areas, the speed of the winds had reached as many as 227 miles [27 km] an hour, lowering electricity lines and cutting tiles off roofing buildings.
The victim is a man who was taken by waves on Liuqiu Island, while another 527 people have been injured by powerful winds and heavy rainfall, Taiwanese authorities reported.
The effects of the storm have also been felt in the supply of electricity. The state-owned company Taipower announced that more than 288 thousand residences were left without power, though most of them have restored the supply.
Meanwhile, air transport has faced considerable disruptions. The Transport Ministry announced that 259 flights were cancelled on Saturday, apparently less than a day ago, when the number of cancellations was close to 1,000.
In the capital, Taipei reported fallen trees and occasional rainfall associated with strong winds. Because of dangerous weather conditions, authorities in some areas of northern and central Taiwan, including the capital, proclaimed their second day off from work and teaching.
A 70-year-old Taipei resident, Thomas Wang, compared the experience to scenes from the horror film ♫Poltergeist.
It was pretty scary, he said, as he went out to do some work this morning.
China Prepares for the Consequences
While Chahampi is moving north, Chinese authorities have taken precautions in the coastal province of Zijiang, where powerful winds and heavy rainfall are expected until Sunday.
The Chinese Emergency Management Ministry sent a team to the region and announced that it had put 400 rescue workers and 600 equipment on alert, while more than 41,000 firefighters were on emergency alert.
In the coastal town of Taizhou, more than 3,800 fishing boats were converted into ports, fish farm workers at sea were taken to land and 2,084 visitors to the islands were evacuated, Chinese state media reported.
Authorities also suspended 25 offshore construction projects and cut off 18 passenger ferry lines.
According to predictions, the typhoon is expected to continue along the Chinese coast and then move south of Japan. However, it is not expected to directly hit Chinese soil.
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Source Layer: Signal