The government of Taiwan, in the vital port city of Kaohsiung, on the path of the eye of the storm, has declared to the people that they should stay at home and away from rivers, sea, and mountains. They have given the warning of a repeat of 1977 Typhoon Thelma, which devastated the city of 2.7 million and killed 37 people.
Typhoons regularly hit Taiwan, but the general mountains are sparsely populated on the east coast facing towards the Pacific. Kraton will make landfall on the island’s flat western plain.
The latest forecast is that it will hit between Kaohsiung and its neighbouring city of Tainan in the early hours of Thursday, then head up the west coast towards Taipei, the Central Weather Administration has announced.
On Wednesday, all cities and counties in Taiwan declared a day off by shutting financial markets. Moreover, domestic and other international flights have been cancelled for the day.
The weather administration said that although the Typhoon has weakened, the threat from a storm surge, strong winds, and rain remains as it moves toward the Taiwan coast.
Because Typhoon Gaemi was quite severe earlier this year, everyone is more prepared and cautious this time, said sales representative YA Ren-yu, 35, while picking up sandbags at a government office. They were referring to July’s storm that killed 11.
First, be prepared, and then we can face this typhoon.
Chou Yi Tang, a government official working in the Siaogang district, where the airport is situated, said that the typhoon has brought back bad memories of Thelma for the coming generations, prompting residents to take extra precautionary measures.
In this district, more than 700 bags have been distributed, a record for a Typhoon. Authorities are making more preparations to meet demands, Chou said.
He added that we were directly hit by the events almost five decades ago by the eye wall. Power and water were out for two weeks and can go for a month ahead. It was disastrous.
Taiwan Defence Forces added that it had put more than 38,000 troops on standby, as the first department reported 35 injuries, mainly in the mountainous region of the eastern county of Taitung.
