Typhoon Krathon swept across southern Taiwan on Thursday, October 3, accompanied by destructive winds, floods and mudslides that left at least two dead, while thousands of people were affected.
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“ Typhoon Krathon made landfall near Xiaogang District in Kaohsiung around 12:40 p.m. today » (4:40 a.m. GMT) in the southern part of the island, announced the Central Meteorological Administration of Taiwan (CWA). It caused the death of at least two people and injured 219 people, firefighters said, reducing the number of people missing from two to one.
Krathon had previously devastated remote islands of the Philippinesleaving one dead, eight injured and damage to more than 300 homes. The Taiwanese were in lockdown two days before the arrival of the cyclonic episode, preceded by winds blowing at 126 km/h with gusts of up to 162 km/h and heavy rain. And schools and offices closed on October 2.
The population of Kaohsiung, a port city of 2.7 million inhabitants, had been particularly warned. “ There will be destructive winds in this area. Take shelter as soon as possible “, warned meteorologists in messages sent to cell phones on Thursday. In the afternoon, people were asked to stay at home while the eye of the storm crossed the area, with its procession of heavy rain and lightning. Around 10,000 people were evacuated, according to a count Thursday by the Taiwanese Ministry of the Interior.
Very significant damage
Krathon severely disrupts air traffic. On October 3, it led to the suspension of all domestic flights for the second consecutive day and the cancellation of around 240 international flights. The typhoon also caused temporary power cuts to nearly 55,000 homes, according to authorities. In Pingtung County, huge waves flooded coastal roads and caused them to collapse in two places. In the city of New Taipei, in northern Taiwan, where rain and winds were intensifying, a mudslide toppled a huge rock onto a temple, whose roof was partially destroyed, reported the local TV channel Set TV.
However, a recent study concluded that they are forming closer to shore, gaining intensity more quickly and persisting longer after making landfall due to climate change. In July, Typhoon Gaemi, the most powerful to hit Taiwan in eight years, triggered widespread flooding in Kaohsiung and left at least ten dead on the island.
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