The Typhoon slammed into Taiwan on July 24 night, bringing Category 3 winds and heavy rain that triggered widespread flooding across the island.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

More than 27,000 people in Northeast China were evacuated and hundreds of factories were ordered to suspend production as Typhoon Gaemi brought heavy rains, the official Xinhua news agency reported on July 27.

Gaemi lashed towns on China’s coastal Fujian province on July 26 with heavy rains and strong winds as the most powerful storm to hit the country this year began its widely watched trek from the Southeastern coast into the populous interior.

The storm, which killed dozens as it swept through Taiwan and worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, has affected almost 630,000 people in China’s Fujian province, with almost half of them being relocated, Xinhua has reported.

Also Read: Philippine tanker carrying 1.4 mn litres of oil capsizes off Manila

Heavy rains caused water levels to rise in 40 reservoirs across Liaoning province, the area is expected to experience torrential rain for the next few days, the report said.

Hundreds of chemical and mining companies across the province have suspended operations and nearby residents have been relocated to avoid flood risks, Xinhua said.

A man looks on while standing near a damaged food cart after Typhoon Koinu passed the southern tip of Taiwan, in Kenting, Taiwan on October 5, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Typhoon Koinu swept southern Taiwan on October 5, killing one person and injuring more than 300 as it brought pounding rain and record-breaking winds to the island, leading to school and office closures.

One person was killed by flying glass in the central city of Taichung and at least 304 were injured around the island, Taiwan’s fire department said. Gusts of wind downed trees and caused damage to some buildings.

Koinu, which means “puppy” in Japanese, made landfall early October 5 in Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost tip of Taiwan, and is expected to weaken as it moves west toward the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of southern China.

Also Read: Hong Kong flooded by heaviest rainfall in 140 years

The typhoon brought the fastest wind ever recorded in Taiwan as it approached on October 4 night.

A weather monitoring station on the outlying Orchid Island, southeast of the main island, measured a gust of 342.7 kph (212.9 mph) at 9:53 pm, as well as sustained winds that reached 198.7 kph (123.5 kph) at 9:40 pm. Both values set all-time highs since Taiwan began keeping records of wind speeds in 1897, said Huang Chia-mei, head of the Central Weather Administration’s Taitung Weather Station, according to the official Central News Agency.

The device measuring the wind speeds broke shortly afterward, Huang said.

Images shared on social media from Orchid Island showed buildings with broken windows and boats sunk in a harbour.

On October 5 evening, Koinu’s maximum sustained winds measured 137 kph (85 mph) with gusts of 173 kph (107 mph).

The heaviest rain fell in the east-coast counties of Taitung and Hualien, and in the mountainous Pingtung county in the south.

Cities across the island cancelled work and classes, including the major southern port city of Kaohsiung. The capital, Taipei, in the north, was operating as normal.

Most domestic flights and dozens of international flights were cancelled, according to the transportation ministry, while ferries to outlying islands were also suspended.

Despite weakening, typhoon Koinu is expected to douse coastal areas of southern China over the weekend. The city of Guangzhou cancelled some flights and trains starting October 6, while its maritime authorities issued a Level 4 alert — the least severe in a four-tier system, calling for caution.

In Fujian province, bordering the Taiwan Strait, authorities suspended 137 passenger ferry trips.

Taiwan sits in an active region for tropical cyclones, but Koinu is only the second typhoon to make landfall in four years. Typhoon Haikui hit the island in early September, injuring dozens.