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Typhoon Champi passed close to Taiwan’s northeastern coastline on Thursday, killing one person, injuring 527 others and cutting electricity to more than 288,000 households, according to Reuters. The storm toppled hundreds of trees, tore roofing from buildings and disrupted air travel across the island.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said the typhoon’s centre was approximately 170 kilometres northeast of the island at its nearest point, with sustained winds near the core reaching 126 kilometres per hour. Gusts along some coastal stretches hit 227 kilometres per hour.
The single fatality occurred near Liuqiu Island, where Taiwan’s fire and rescue service said a man was swept away by waves. The 527 injured were hurt by the combination of high winds and heavy rain that accompanied the storm’s passage.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that 259 flights were cancelled on Thursday. The disruption was even heavier the previous day: nearly 1,000 flights were scrubbed on Wednesday as the typhoon approached. Schools and government offices in northern and central Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, were shut for a second consecutive day as a precaution. Residents in Taipei described the sound of the storm as resembling scenes from a disaster film.
Champi had earlier reached super-typhoon intensity, making it one of the strongest storms recorded in the western Pacific this year. By Thursday it had weakened and was moving northward toward the Chinese coast, though forecasters said a direct landfall on the mainland was not expected.
China mobilises ahead of possible impact
Chinese authorities were nonetheless preparing for significant wind and rain. The country’s Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a specialist team to Zhejiang province, and officials warned that strong winds and heavy rainfall could persist until 26 October. Some 400 rescue workers and 600 pieces of equipment were placed on standby, with more than 41,000 firefighters put on emergency alert.
In Taizhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang, more than 3,800 fishing boats were ordered back to port. Workers at offshore aquaculture facilities were brought ashore, and 2,084 tourists were evacuated from islands in the area. Twenty-five marine construction projects were suspended and services on 18 passenger ferry routes were halted.