Typhoon Krathon: Taiwan braces for landfall, thousands evacuated

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — A slow-moving typhoon approaching Taiwan led to school and office closures for a third consecutive day Thursday, with authorities asking people to stay indoors.

Typhoon Krathon, packing fierce winds and torrential rainfall, was around 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of the major port city of Kaohsiung on Thursday morning, traveling northeastward at a speed of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) per hour, according to the island’s Central Weather Administration.

It was expected to make landfall later Thursday on Taiwan’s densely populated west coast. The typhoon, packing maximum sustained winds near the center of 137 kph (85 mph) and gusts of 173 kph (107 mph), is expected to continue to weaken as it moves inland.

The typhoon has brought Kaohsiung, a city of 2.7 million people, to a standstill for the past three days. Stores and restaurants have been shuttered, and residents kept away from markets and harbors. All domestic flights have been grounded for the past two days.

Gusts and heavy rains pelted the empty streets.

Many residents woke up Thursday to mobile phone alerts urging them to take shelter from fierce winds of up to 134 kph (83 mph), with gusts of more than 166 kph (103 mph). The weather administration posted a Facebook message warning Kaohsiung and Pingtung County residents to not go outside when the eye of the storm passes above their area and the weather calms briefly, because the winds and storms will pick up again afterward.

Weather-related events attributed to Krathon injured at least 123 people around the island, according to Taiwan’s fire department. Two people died — one after driving into fallen rocks on the road in the southeastern Taitung county, and the other while trimming tree branches in the city of Hualien. Two others remained missing.

Thousands were evacuated from areas vulnerable to mudslides and landslides. Almost 40,000 troops were on standby to help with rescue efforts.

Mountainous areas in the island’s south have seen up to 169 centimeters (5.5 feet) of rain over the past five days.

China’s weather agency said some eastern and southern parts of Taiwan are set to see extremely heavy rains of up to 40 centimeters (1.3 feet) over the next 24 hours.

Typhoons rarely hit Taiwan’s west coast, affecting instead the mountainous, eastern side of the island. Krathon is forecast to slowly travel north and weaken into a tropical depression by Friday before it reaches the capital, Taipei.

On Monday, the typhoon lashed northern Philippine islands, where four people were killed and at least 5,000 were displaced, officials said.