Life almost stopped across Taiwan on Friday, with most shops and schools closed, and hundreds of people forced to leave their homes for safer places, as Typhoon Champi approached.
The typhoon is expected to pass along the northeastern regions of Taiwan on its way towards China and Japan, which has prompted airlines to cancel hundreds of flights in the region.
The Central Meteorological Administration in Taiwan said that the hurricane, whose intensity had previously reached the category of a super typhoon, becoming one of the strongest hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean this year, was still accompanied by winds reaching speeds of approximately 191 kilometers per hour near its center.
The expected path shows that it will pass off the northeastern coast of Taiwan late Friday, then deviate north toward the Chinese coast, then head toward southern Japan.
Meteorologists in Taiwan said that the diameter of the storm is about 320 kilometers, which is large enough to cover most of the island, and its impact may last for nearly two days.
Heavy rains and strong winds are likely to fall on Friday and Saturday, while thousands of soldiers remain on standby to participate in rescue operations.
Residents in the coastal city of Keelung in northeastern Taiwan expressed concern that the hurricane would cause their homes and shops to be submerged in water.
“Keelung has seen a lot of floods this year,” said Liu Yu-in, an 18-year-old construction worker. “So we are worried that our house will be flooded, and that will be annoying.”
Local authorities reported that at least one person was killed in Taiwan, after being swept away by strong waves, and 171 others were injured as a result of strong winds and heavy rain.
The government announced the evacuation of 2,639 people from mountainous areas. Tai Power reported that power was cut off in more than 77,000 homes, but most of them have since returned.
Thousands of families on the Japanese islands of Okinawa, located north of Taiwan, were exposed to power outages.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Ministry of Transport announced the cancellation of all 262 domestic flights today, Friday, in addition to more than 717 international flights.
The capital, Taipei, witnessed rain showers accompanied by strong winds, but public transportation, including the subway, continued to operate as usual, albeit with limited services, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, major airlines in Japan, including Japan Airlines, canceled more than 100 flights - most of them domestic - between Thursday and Sunday. Estimates indicate that these cancellations will affect at least 11,000 passengers.
Meanwhile, the China Meteorological Administration issued a “blue” warning for Cyclone Champi, the lowest level in the four-level warning system.
Taiwan is very well equipped to deal with typhoons, keeping casualty numbers low. Although these phenomena are more common in the summer, they sometimes occur in the fall as well, according to Reuters.
Chambi is the latest storm in a very active hurricane season in the Pacific Ocean, exacerbated by the El Niño climate phenomenon, which has caused an unprecedented rise in ocean water temperatures at the equator.
The United Nations said on Wednesday that the El Niño phenomenon affecting the planet has reached record levels, calling on countries to take urgent measures to prepare for the worst scenarios.
