Taiwan has issued a warning ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Kraton, which is expected to pass through the densely populated west coast, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, Reuters reported.
Kraton is forecast to hit the major port city of Kaohsiung on Wednesday, then cross central Taiwan to the northeast and enter the eastern East China Sea.
“This is the first typhoon in history with such movement and intensity,” said a local meteorologist. He warned residents of the area to prepare for extreme winds of over 150 km/h.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chimai told reporters that the city should prepare for a storm that will cause a lot of damage, adding that 1,690 people had already been evacuated. “The trajectory of Typhoon Kraton could cause a major disaster in Kaohsiung, and there is a very high risk of disasters in mountainous areas,” he said.
Taiwanese authorities said more than 1,000 rubber boats and 15,000 military personnel were on standby across Taiwan, including along the east coast, where up to 1.3m of rain was expected in the coming days.
“All military hospitals have formed emergency medical teams and are ready to respond at any time,” Defense Ministry spokesman Sun Lifan said.
Regular sea connections to Taiwan’s outlying islands have already been suspended, as have some domestic flights. The railway connecting southern Taiwan to the east coast stopped functioning, although other services, including the high-speed rail that connects northern and southern Taiwan, operated without interruption.
