Typhoon Kong-rey hits Taiwan, forcing thousands to evacuate

On October 31, Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall in Taiwan, becoming the most powerful storm to hit the island in nearly three decades.

In preparation for the storm, authorities closed schools, offices, and financial markets, evacuated thousands of people, grounded hundreds of flights, and mobilised the military, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Kong-rey was the most powerful typhoon to hit Taiwan in 28 years, said Gene Huang, a forecaster with the island’s Central Weather Administration.

The storm approached the island with maximum sustained winds of about 202 kmph, equivalent to those of a strong Category 3 hurricane, according to the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

As of October 31 afternoon, 73 injuries linked to heavy wind and rain from the typhoon had been reported across the island, according to Taiwan’s national fire agency. A 56-year-old woman in central Taiwan died after a tree fell and crashed into the truck she was in at the time, the agency said.

More than 9,600 people had been evacuated in 13 cities and counties on the island as of October 31 morning, according to Taiwan’s Interior Ministry.

The entire island was under land and sea warnings on October 31 afternoon, meaning that sustained winds of at least 62 kmph were predicted to hit or come close to Taiwan within hours. Advisories for extremely heavy rain and other extreme weather stretched across the island, and nearly four feet of rain was forecast to fall in some mountainous areas.

Moreover, the storm’s effects were also being felt in China, where meteorologists said that it could make landfall on November 1 and bring heavy wind and rain to several cities, including Shanghai, the country’s financial hub.

By Aghakazim Guliyev