The powerful typhoon Kong-king began to hit Taiwan on Thursday, October 31, where schools and offices were closed and tens of thousands of soldiers were mobilized preventively before the arrival of one of the strongest storms in years on the island.
The typhoon, accompanied by gusts that reached 184 km/h and torrential rains, made landfall at noon in the southeast, the least populated part of this island of 23 million inhabitants already affected by the monsoon, and where many people have already been evacuated. . According to a first report from the National Fire Agency, a 56-year-old woman died when an uprooted tree fell on her vehicle in Nantou county (in the center of the island). Seventy-three other people were also injured.
Originally described as the strongest typhoon of the year, Kong-rey now has the same intensity as Typhoon Gaemi, the strongest storm to hit Taiwan in the past eight years, when it arrives in July 2024. With a radius of 320 kilometers, Kong-king is considered the largest to have made landfall in almost thirty years. Even before its arrival, waves 10 meters high were observed.
Until Friday, more than a meter of rain could fall in the most affected regions. Meteorologists warned about winds “destructive” Kong-rey, and nearly 35,000 soldiers are ready to participate in relief operations.
The streets of Taipei, battered by heavy rain and strong winds, are largely deserted. The large Taiwanese technology group TSMC declared that it had “Activated the usual preparation procedures for typhoon alerts” in their chip manufacturing plants and not wait for a “significant impact” about their activities.
Third typhoon since July
As of Wednesday, dozens of ferry routes and domestic flights had been canceled and authorities had carried out evacuations in eight counties and cities, including Yilan, Hualien and Taitung.
The storm is expected to weaken once it makes landfall and move toward the central mountains before crossing the Taiwan Strait, according to Chu Mei-lin of the Central Meteorological Administration, who said it should “severely” They will affect the island until Friday morning.
Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang expressed concern about the fate of two Czech tourists who were hiking in the Taroko Gorge near Hualien and could not be reached by their phones on Wednesday.
Taiwan is accustomed to tropical storms, frequent from July to October, but it is “It is unusual for such a powerful typhoon to hit the island at this time of year”notes meteorologist Chang Chun-yao. Climate change is increasing in intensity, with heavy downpours, flash floods and very strong gusts of wind, scientists say.
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Kong-rey will be the third typhoon to hit Taiwan since July. This summer, Gaemi killed ten people and injured hundreds, causing widespread flooding in the southern city of Kaohsiung. That typhoon was followed by Krathon, which devastated southern Taiwan in early October, causing destructive winds, flooding and landslides that left at least four people dead and hundreds injured.
