Typhoon Podul hits Taiwan, thousands evacuated

Taipei [Taiwan], August 14: Typhoon Podul, with winds of up to 155 km/h, made landfall in Taiwan, bringing strong gusts of wind along the entire coastal area of the island.
CNA reported that Typhoon Podul made landfall in Taima Li Town (Taitung, Taiwan ) at around 1 p.m. on August 13 (local time), accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain, causing hundreds of flights to be canceled and thousands of people to be evacuated.
According to the Taiwan Weather Administration (CWA), storm Podul continues to move west-northwest at a speed of about 29 km/h, with winds of up to 155 km/h, gusting to 191 km/h.
CWA weather expert Liu Yuqi said the typhoon radius has covered the areas of Taitung, Hualien, Nantou and the area south of Yunlin. He warned that winds and rain will be stronger in Taitung, Hualien, Kaohsiung and Pingtung.
Typhoon Podul's impact on Taiwan is forecast to be strongest from August 13 to the early morning of August 14, with strong gusts of wind occurring along the entire coastal area of the island.
Since the morning of August 13, the Hualien and Taitung regions in eastern Taiwan, along with the Hengchun Peninsula in the southern tip of the island, have begun to experience stronger winds and heavier rain.
"Strong winds are expected due to the typhoon. Seek shelter immediately," a text message sent to mobile phone users in some areas of Taitung early on August 13 said, according to Reuters. The warning said gusts of over 150 km/h would occur in the next few hours.
Nine regions, including the two major southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan, have announced work and school holidays on August 13. In Taipei, home to Taiwan's financial markets, gusts of wind have been reported but have not yet caused any impact.
Taiwanese authorities said more than 5,500 people had been evacuated ahead of the storm. The transport authority said all 252 domestic flights and 129 international flights on August 13 had been canceled.
Taiwan's two main international carriers, China Airlines and EVA Air, said the flight cancellations were concentrated on routes departing from Kaohsiung, while some flights from Taoyuan airport were also canceled.
After making landfall, the storm is expected to sweep across Taiwan's much more populated west coast, before heading towards Fujian province in southern mainland China later this week. According to the CWA, up to 600mm of rain could fall in the mountainous areas of southern Taiwan over the next few days.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper