Taiwan shuts down as Typhoon Krathon bears down on island’s southwest
Al Jazeera
The storm is expected to hit southwestern city of Khaosiung, home to 2.7 million people, early on Thursday.
Taiwan has shut down ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Krathon closing offices and schools, evacuating thousands and cancelling flights and ferry services.
Krathon, with sustained wind speeds of 173km (107 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 209km/h (130mph), is expected to strike the southwestern port city of Kaohsiung in the early hours of Thursday and has already brought torrential rain and strong winds.
The Central Weather Administration said it was located about 160km (99 miles) southwest of Kaohsiung as of 7.00am on Wednesday (23:00 GMT on Tuesday).
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai asked the city’s 2.7 million residents to stay indoors unless necessary and to avoid flood- and landslide-prone areas near rivers, the sea and the mountains. Up to 80cm (31 inches) of rain has been forecast in surrounding mountainous areas.
Chen warned Krathon would be “no less powerful” than 1977’s Typhoon Thelma, which devastated the city, leaving 37 dead and 298 injured.
