About 3,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas in eastern Taiwan on Sunday ahead of the expected overnight landfall of Typhoon Haikui, officials said.
The Ministry of the Interior reported that more than 2,800 people were evacuated from seven towns on the island, mainly from the mountainous area of Hualien.
Haikui had already brought heavy rain in the morning, with winds of around 140 km/h. The typhoon is expected to hit the Taitung region, neighboring Hualien, at 5:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. in Lisbon).
More than 200 domestic flights were canceled and schools and offices in the south and east of the island were closed.
It is expected to be “the first typhoon to hit Taiwan in four years,” Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said.
At 9:00 a.m. (02:00 a.m. Lisbon time), Haikui was about 180 kilometers east of the island, according to Taiwan’s Central Meteorological Bureau.
“A little strengthened since yesterday [sábado]”Deputy Cabinet Director Fong Chin-tzu said at a press conference.
Haikui “likely poses a considerable threat to most of Taiwan, with wind, rain and waves,” it warned, adding that the storm would head west toward the Taiwan Strait on Monday.
Authorities said they expected Haikui to be less powerful than Saola, prompting high alerts in Macau, Hong Kong and southern China, before losing steam on Saturday.
The last major storm to hit Taiwan was Typhoon Bailu, which caused one death in 2019.
Source: TSF
