Taiwan strengthens against Super Typhoon Kong-rey

Taiwan suspended work and classes on some remote islands on Wednesday and fishermen secured their boats as authorities warned that approaching Super Typhoon Kong-rey could trigger landslides.

Strong winds and heavy rains were expected to hit parts of the island’s 23 million people before Kong-rey reached the southeast on Thursday afternoon.

The latest update from the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Kong-rey reached a maximum sustained wind speed of 240 kilometers (150 miles) per hour as it approached Taiwan.

Fishermen wearing raincoats tied up their boats at the port of Yilan County, southeast of Taipei, due to rain.

“Of course I’m worried. All my assets are here,” a fisherman who gave his name as Captain Chen told AFP.

Kong-rey is expected to drop the heaviest rain on Taiwan’s eastern and northern coastal areas and mountains in the central and southern regions, the Central Weather Administration’s state forecaster said.

Yilan and eastern Hualien county are expected to be hardest hit, with accumulated rainfall from Tuesday to Friday reaching 800 millimeters to 1,200 millimeters (31 inches to 47 inches), forecaster Chang Chun-yao told AFP.

“Based on the predicted path of the typhoon, we advise Yilan, Hualien and Taitung to take precautions against possible landslides and debris flows in areas expected to receive heavy rainfall,” Chang said. he said.

Classes and studies have been suspended on the two main islands of Taitung County, where it is thought that the typhoon will hit directly, based on the current course of the storm.

Ferry services between Taiwan’s remote Kinmen island and the Chinese port city of Xiamen were also suspended.

Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October, but Chang said it was unusual for such a strong typhoon to hit the island this late in the year.

“It is very rare for a moderate or stronger typhoon to make landfall in late October. The last incident was Typhoon Nock-ten in October 2004,” Chang told AFP.

Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, causing heavy rainfall, flash floods and strong winds.

In July, Gaemi became the strongest typhoon to reach Taiwan in eight years; It killed at least 10 people, injured hundreds and caused widespread flooding in the southern port city of Kaohsiung.

This was followed by Krathon in early October, which killed at least four people and injured hundreds, while also causing mudslides, floods and record high winds.

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