Strong winds from Typhoon Podul topple signs and scatter debris in Taitung City, Taiwan, as emergency crews respond to damage and power outages. Photo courtesy: Asia One
Typhoon Podul swept across Taiwan for about three hours on Wednesday afternoon. It injured 33 people and left one man missing, the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) reported.
The storm hit Taitung County at 1 p.m. and exited via Tainan City around 4 p.m. Taitung and Kaohsiung each recorded 13 injuries, the highest tolls.
The missing person is a 28-year-old man surnamed Lin. He was fishing in Chiayi County’s Budai Township, an area under storm warnings, when strong currents pulled him out to sea. Rescue teams began searching shortly after 1 p.m., but winds and waves forced them to stop at 2:40 p.m. Efforts will resume when weather conditions improve.
Podul continues to affect Taiwan’s east, south, and outlying islands. Large waves and heavy rain threaten low-lying areas with flooding. Authorities urged the public to avoid beaches and water activities.
The typhoon also caused power outages across the country. At one point, more than 130,000 households lost electricity. By mid-afternoon, crews restored power to 76,000 homes, but 58,000—mostly in Taitung—remained without service.
In Taitung, fierce gusts of 118–133 kph damaged buildings. At the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Taitung Hospital, the emergency room doors blew out. This forced staff to redirect patients to other hospitals. ER services resumed later that evening.
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