As Typhoon Khanun approaches Taiwan, the island took precautionary measures to ensure the safety of its citizens and infrastructure. Financial markets were closed as authorities forecasted torrential rain along the northern coast.
Offices and schools in the region were also shut down, with local governments preparing for heavy rainfall in Taipei, Keelung and Yilan County.
As on August 2 at 10:30 pm, there were no reports of major damage, according to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center. While Khanun is not expected to make direct landfall in Taiwan, it remains a concern due to its strength, with winds reaching up to 198 kph as it hovers around 360 kilometers east-northeast of Taipei, as reported by the weather bureau on August 3 morning.
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The northern coastal areas closest to the storm are under sea and land warnings to be vigilant against the potential impacts. Despite its current trajectory towards China, Taiwan’s official forecasts indicate that Khanun is likely to change course dramatically and start heading northeast towards Japan, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, the Japanese island of Okinawa faced the brunt of the typhoon’s force, with approximately 170,000 buildings left without power on August 3 morning, according to Japan’s trade ministry.
Recovery efforts have begun in areas where the strong winds have subsided. However, the slow-moving nature of the typhoon may prolong the restoration work, Bloomberg added.
The authorities in southwest China are preparing for a potential impact, activating their emergency response and sending a team to Zhejiang province to assist with prevention work, Xinhua reported Thursday, citing a joint meeting by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and Ministry of Emergency Management.
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This comes as Beijing is dealing with the aftermath of the heaviest rain on record to hit the Chinese capital. At least 20 people were reported to have died as the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri — which closed parts of southern Taiwan last week — caused widespread flooding and damage and forced nearly a million people to be evacuated from their homes in Beijing and neighboring Hebei province this week.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management warned that multiple regions face a high risk of flooding across the country in August, with two to three typhoons expected to make landfall or have a notable impact on China’s coastal areas, according to a report by Xinhua News on August 2.
(With Bloomberg inputs)
