Taitung, Taiwan:

Typhoon Haikui made landfall on eastern Taiwan Sunday, unleashing torrential downpours, whipping winds and plunging thousands of households into darkness as the first major storm to directly hit the island in four years.

Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas, hundreds of flights cancelled and businesses closed in preparation for the storm.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said in a press conference the typhoon was “at our doorstep” and by 3:40 pm (0740 GMT) confirmed to AFP it had made landfall in coastal Taitung, a mountainous county in lesser-populated eastern Taiwan.

Residents hunkered down indoors in the dark, staying away from windows as strong gusts of wind sent toppled trees and dislodged water tanks flying in the air, according to an AFP reporter.

“I think this time it is serious,” said retired mechanic Chang Jhi-ming, 58, in Taitung.

“This is just beginning, the wind is just coming in and you can see trees toppling already.”

The typhoon has gathered speed since yesterday, and at 3:00 pm was packing sustained winds of about 154 kilometres (95 miles) per hour.

“Rain and wind will be most intense and its impact will be most obvious during this period” after landfall, said a spokesperson with the weather bureau, adding that the typhoon will move into the Taiwan Strait by Monday evening.

Across the island, more than 21,000 hosueholds lost power, and while most resumed by mid-afternoon, about 9,000 were still without electricity when Haikui hit — including in Taitung.

Authorities have reported two minor injuries in Hualien county — a mountainous region which was issued a warning for flash floods — after a fallen tree hit a car.

The last major storm to hit Taiwan was Typhoon Bailu in 2019, which left one person dead.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Haikui would be the first in four years to cross the Central Mountain Range running north to south of the island — a path that could lead to landslides in surrounding counties.

“I remind the people to make preparations for the typhoon and watch out for your safety, avoid going out or any dangerous activities,” President Tsai said.

– ‘Big winds’ –

The streets in Hualien were deserted Sunday, battered by unrelenting rain, while a fishing harbour in northeastern coastal Yilan county saw towering waves slam against the shore.

In Taitung, before Haikui landed, ripped up trees already littered the streets, street signs swayed under the strong winds and a restaurant owner tied down his signpost advertising seafood.

“I almost forgot what it’s like to be in a typhoon. What big winds!” restaurant owner Huang Jun-tong said, adding that when he woke up this morning he immediately went to his shop to make sure everything was protected.

“Yesterday, it was so calm that we did not feel like a typhoon was coming. Today, we feel it,” he told AFP.

The military had mobilised soldiers and equipment — such as amphibious vehicles and inflatable rubber boats — around the parts of Taiwan where Haikui is expected to have the heaviest impact.

But it is expected to be less severe than Saola, which bypassed Taiwan but triggered the highest threat level in nearby Hong Kong and southern China before it weakened into a tropical storm by Saturday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Nearly 3,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas in eastern Taiwan ahead of Typhoon Haikui as authorities prepared Sunday for the first tropical storm to directly hit the island in four years.

Haikui — which had already brought heavy rains by Sunday morning — is packing a sustained wind speed of about 140 kilometres (39 miles) per hour, and is expected to make landfall in Taiwan’s eastern Taitung area by 5:00 pm (0900 GMT).

Schools and offices around the southern and eastern parts of the island were closed Sunday, and more than 200 domestic flights cancelled.

Haikui “will be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in four years”, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday.

“I remind the people to make preparations for the typhoon and watch out for your safety, avoid going out or any dangerous activities.”

The storm was around 180 kilometres (110 miles) east of Taiwan just before 9:00 am, Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said in a press conference.

“It has gathered some strength since yesterday,” said deputy director Fong Chin-tzu, urging to public to be “on guard”.

“It is expected to pose a considerable threat to most areas in Taiwan with winds, rains and waves,” he said, adding that the storm would move west to the Taiwan Strait by Monday.

The Interior Ministry said authorities had evacuated more than 2,800 people across seven cities in Taiwan, the majority of them from the mountainous county of Hualien, which neighbours Taitung.

The streets of Hualien were deserted Sunday morning, battered by unrelenting torrential rain under dark skies.

The military has mobilised soldiers and equipment — such as amphibious vehicles and inflatable rubber boats — around the parts of Taiwan where Haikui is expected to have the heaviest impact.

The last major storm to hit Taiwan was Typhoon Bailu in 2019, which left one person dead.

Haikui is expected to be less severe than Saola, which bypassed Taiwan but triggered the highest threat level in nearby Hong Kong and southern China before it weakened into a tropical storm by Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)