Typhoon Podul Taiwan triggers mass evacuations, flight cancellations, and severe weather warnings as the storm moves toward China. Photo courtesy: The Star
(The Post News)- Early this morning, residents in parts of Taitung received urgent alerts warning of destructive winds from Typhoon Podul. The message advised people to take shelter immediately, as gusts above 150 km/h were expected within hours.
Nine cities and counties, including the southern hubs of Kaohsiung and Tainan, suspended work and school. In Taipei, Taiwan’s capital and financial center, winds picked up but caused no disruption.
Authorities are evacuating thousands from damaged homes left vulnerable by a July typhoon. That storm delivered record winds and knocked out the West Coast’s power grid in a rare direct hit. Government figures show over 5,500 people have been moved to safety ahead of Podul’s arrival.
Travel has been heavily disrupted. All 252 domestic flights were canceled, along with 129 international services. Major carriers China Airlines and EVA Airfocused cancellations on routes from Kaohsiung, though some flights from Taoyuan International Airport were also stopped.
The Central Weather Administration predicts Podul will strike Taiwan’s southeast, cross the densely populated west, and move toward Fujian Province in southern China later this week. Southern mountain regions could see up to 600 mm (24 inches) of rain in the coming days.
This month, parts of Taiwan’s south already endured more than a year’s rainfall in just one week. The downpour triggered widespread floods and landslides, killing four people.
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