EPATaiwan is bracing for the arrival of powerful Typhoon Gaemi, which is expected to make landfall on the island’s northeast coast on Wednesday evening.
The storm, the first typhoon of the season to hit the island, forced the cancellation of parts of the largest annual military exercises. A woman reportedly died as the storm approached after being struck by a falling tree in the southern city of Kaohsiung.
According to the Ministry of Transportation, almost all domestic flights have been cancelled, as well as more than 200 international flights.
En route to Taiwan, Gaemi also brought relentless rain to large swathes of the Philippines, with floods turning streets into rivers in the capital Manila.
The typhoon is packing winds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph), equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane in terms of wind strength and destructive potential.
The government declared Wednesday a typhoon day, suspending work and classes across the island except the Kinmen Islands.
However, chipmaking giant TSMC told the BBC that its factories would maintain normal operations.
The storm is now heading slightly further north and will pass through northern Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, later Wednesday night. It will then pass through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and hit the coast of Fujian in southeast China.
Despite the very strong winds, authorities say the main threat posed by Gaemi is the enormous amount of moisture it carries.
The island’s Central Meteorological Administration issued a land warning for all of Taiwan, expecting wind and rain to be at their peak on Wednesday and Thursday.
Taiwanese authorities warn that more than a metre of rainfall is expected in the central and southern mountains of the island over the next 24 hours.
The area of central Taiwan that will be affected was hit by a major earthquake earlier this year, which destabilized the mountainsides, so there is a risk of landslides and flash floods.
In Taipei, where heavy rain and winds have intensified, supermarket shelves remained empty Tuesday night as people shopped in anticipation of a sharp price hike expected after the typhoon.
The typhoon threat also forced the government to cancel parts of its Hang Kuang military exercises scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, despite repeatedly saying the drills would be “the most realistic ever.”
The southwest monsoon and storm Gaemi also brought heavy rains to the Philippine capital region and northern provinces on Wednesday. Work and classes were halted in those areas, while stock and foreign exchange trading was suspended.
Metro Manila, home to nearly 15 million people, was placed under a state of disaster as rivers and streams overflowed.
Images circulating on social media show small cars floating in chest-deep water and passengers stuck on the roofs of buses.
The state weather bureau said the rains, typical for this time of year, could persist until Thursday.
Additional reporting by Joel Guinto in Singapore
