Taiwan has closed offices, schools and financial markets ahead of the arrival of weakening Typhoon Kraton, which is expected to bring storm surge and torrential rain to the coast.
The government of Kaohsiung, a major port city, is well on its way. eye of the stormon Wednesday urged people to stay at home and away from oceans, rivers and mountains, warning of a repeat of the 1977 typhoon Thelma, which killed 37 people and devastated the city of 2.7 million people.
Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, but typhoons usually make landfall along the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific Ocean, while cratons make landfall on the flat western plains of the island.
The central weather bureau said it was expected to hit between Kaohsiung and the neighboring city of Tainan early Thursday, then move north up the west coast toward the capital Taipei.
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense announced that more than 38,000 soldiers were on standby.
The fire department reported 35 people were injured, mainly in mountainous areas in eastern Taitung County.
All cities and prefectures in Taiwan declared a holiday on Wednesday and closed financial markets. Domestic flights were canceled that day, and dozens of international flights were also cancelled.
The weather bureau said the typhoon was weakening but was slowly moving towards Taiwan's coast, and the threat of storm surge and strong winds and rain remained.
“Typhoon Gaemi was very strong earlier this year, so everyone is more cautious and prepared this time,” said Yu Renyu, a 35-year-old sales representative, as she picked up sandbags at the government office. He spoke, referring to the deadly July storm.
“We can face this typhoon if we first prepare.”
Chow Yi-tan, a government employee who works in Xiaogang district, where the airport is located, said the typhoon had reminded older generations of bad memories of Thelma and urged residents to be extra cautious.
Chou said more than 700 sandbags had been distributed in his district, a record for a typhoon, but authorities were distributing more to meet demand.
“We witnessed firsthand” what happened nearly 50 years ago, he added. “The power went out for two weeks and the water went out for almost a month. It was devastating.”
