YILAN/KEELUNG, Taiwan, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Almost the entire territory of Taiwan ground to a halt on Friday as Typhoon Champi approached, bringing strong winds and torrential rain, and although it was weakening, it could still directly hit the island.
At one point, rated as a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi still displayed gusts of about 191 km/h near its center, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA).
The storm was about 170 km east of Taiwan, the CWA said. The forecast path indicates that it would pass near northeastern Taiwan on Friday night, turn north toward the Chinese coast, and, eventually, head toward the south of Japan.
One person died and 163 were injured—down from the 171 initially reported—when strong winds and torrential rain struck Taiwan, where the government said 2,639 people had been evacuated from mountainous areas. Taipower said more than 77,000 households were left without power, though electricity had been restored to most of them.
TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said operations remained normal, with no significant impact.
Meteorologist Liu Pei-teng of the CWA told Reuters that the possibility of the typhoon hitting the island cannot be ruled out if it stagnates, circles, or wobbles from side to side as it approaches Taiwan.
“The range of the storm’s winds is quite wide, one of the widest in recent years,” Liu said. “If the storm slows down, the strong winds will affect Taiwan for a longer period.”
Coastal cities received cellphone alerts warning of gusts exceeding 150 km/h and urging residents to seek shelter immediately, while rainfall was forecast to approach nearly one meter for the northern mountainous regions, including around Taipei.
In Yilan County, in the northeast, where strong winds and heavy rains were intensifying and the typhoon was expected to pass near the area later Friday, authorities distributed sandbags and placed amphibious rescue vehicles and inflatable boats on standby.
“When necessary, the Armed Forces will step in to help the population, including using amphibious vehicles for evacuations or disaster relief,” said Lee Ming-chen, head of the port city of Suao, which has suffered severe floods in previous typhoons.
In the port city of Keelung, in the north of the country, boat owners rushed to protect their vessels.
“It’s not that bad; I’m just worried about flooding. Keelung has already suffered many floods this year,” said Liu Yu-en, an 18-year-old construction worker.
Taiwan’s financial markets also closed on Friday, while only the Kinmen Islands, controlled by Taiwan and located near the Chinese coast, kept schools and offices open as normal.
The Ministry of Transport said all 262 domestic flights were cancelled, along with 717 international flights. The north-south high-speed rail service was operating normally.
In the capital Taipei, heavy rain and wind gusts occurred, but public transport, including the metro, was operating, albeit with reduced service.
