Typhoon Krathon, a powerful storm, made landfall in Taiwan’s south, forcing schools and offices to shut down for a second day. The typhoon brought destructive winds, heavy rain, and flooding, leaving two dead and over 100 injured. This article explores the impact of Krathon on the island nation, including disrupted transportation, evacuations, and the efforts of authorities to keep residents safe. Typhoons are a common occurrence in Taiwan, and experts say climate change is increasing their intensity, making them a growing challenge for the island.
Krathon Brings Destruction
Typhoon Krathon, with sustained winds around 126 kilometres per hour (80 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 162 kph, hit near the southern seaport city of Kaohsiung on Thursday afternoon. The nation’s Central Weather Service issued an alert urging people to seek shelter immediately, as winds of catastrophic strength will soon be hitting the area from Typhoon Fanapi.
The city’s mayor, Chen Chi-mai told reporters they were already feeling “the most intense winds” as Krathon moved toward land. Earlier, the storm had wreaked havoc across the region, with trees brought down and billboards stabbing into homes — even toppling some motorcyclists from their bikes. The powerful waves also whipped the coast in neighboring Pingtung county, causing one road to collapse in two spots.
Casualties and Evacuations
Typhoon Krathon: At least two dead, more than 100 injured In eastern Hualien county the rescuers found that a 70-year-old man died while trimming trees, another 66-year man had been killed when his truck hit a fallen rock on the road in Taitung.
At the time, nearly 10,000 people had been evacuated across Taiwan, according to the interior ministry. The storm has also triggered mudslides, flash flooding and destroyed homes and roads in parts of the region. Near New Taipei City, a mudslide dislodged a massive rock which fell intoin the roof of Yangmingshanzun Temple.
Disrupting Daily Life
Typhoon Kranthorn has cut through daily life around Taiwan with a second day of service interruption on all domestic flights and up to 240 international flights canceled. Transportation hit hard With the powerful winds and rain, many roads and infrastructure were damaged by the storm.
Residents in Kaohsiung and elsewhere are being urged to stay indoors and not make any unnecessary journey. The CWA has notifed the community with several text messages to mobile phones telling us to ‘take cover now’. Those rescue and retrieval personnel save as much of the day, many working nonstop with authorities in Taiwan organizing catastrophe relief.
