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Taiwan Re-Opens, Cleans Up After Typhoon Krathon

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Southern Taiwan, particularly the major port city of Kaohsiung, began clearing up damage on Friday after Typhoon Krathon caused significant flooding and damage from high winds. The storm, now downgraded to a tropical depression, hit Kaohsiung hard, inundating streets, shattering windows, and scattering debris as it unleashed record-breaking winds. Meanwhile, most of Taiwan resumed normal activities, and financial markets re-opened, though Kaohsiung and neighboring Pingtung County declared a fourth consecutive day off work to focus on recovery efforts.

Officials, led by Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, vowed to restore essential services as quickly as possible. The mayor stressed the urgency of restoring transport, water, and electricity, saying, “We hope as fast as possible to resume transport, water and electricity supplies, so work and life can get back to normal.”

Kaohsiung’s government reported over 2,000 fallen trees obstructing roads, though only two injuries were reported in the city. Workers used cranes to clear debris, including downed trees and traffic signs. Some streets remained impassable, forcing traffic diversions and inconveniencing pedestrians.

Locals shared their experiences of the storm’s intensity. Clark Huang, a 49-year-old resident, described how his sandbags failed to prevent water from flooding his home. “The wind pressed the water in anyway,” he said, adding that cleanup began swiftly once the storm passed. Tsai Ming-an, a 51-year-old engineer, recounted how his home’s ground floor was submerged in about 20 cm (7.8 inches) of water, remarking, “I have never seen winds like that.”

Typhoon Krathon’s path was unusual, striking Taiwan’s flat west coast, rather than the more mountainous and sparsely populated east coast. In the aftermath, nearly 100,000 households in Kaohsiung and Pingtung remained without power on Friday, while 129,000 households in Kaohsiung had no water supply. Despite the widespread disruptions, the city is recovering steadily, and workers at Kaohsiung Port are clearing freight containers displaced by the storm to ensure normal operations continue.

Transportation services were slowly resuming, with Taiwan’s north-south high-speed rail line and most regular rail services back in operation, except for two branch lines. However, disruptions in air travel continued, with 15 international and 88 domestic flights canceled. Kaohsiung’s airport sustained damage to two air bridges, and Orchid Island’s airport lost landing aids, but both airports remained operational.

The death toll from Typhoon Krathon remains at two, both men from Taiwan’s east coast who were killed before the typhoon made landfall. One person is still missing, and 667 people sustained injuries. Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing, with teams working to restore services and clear the storm’s aftermath.

In addition to dealing with storm damage, authorities are investigating a fire at a hospital in Pingtung that killed nine people. The fire broke out while Typhoon Krathon was bearing down on the region, adding another layer of tragedy to the unfolding disaster.

 

Weakened but Powerful Typhoon Krathon Hits Taiwan, Killing Two

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Typhoon Krathon, although weakened to a category 1 storm, hit southwestern Taiwan on Thursday, leaving two people dead and causing significant disruption across the island. Making landfall near Kaohsiung, a major port city, the storm brought with it heavy rain, strong winds, and dangerous storm surges. Despite the typhoon’s reduced intensity, authorities urged residents to remain indoors as gusts over 160 kph (100 mph) were recorded, with Kaohsiung’s port experiencing even stronger winds of more than 220 kph.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai expressed concern about people continuing to venture outside despite the warnings, calling it “very dangerous” to be on the streets with such severe weather conditions. The storm led to widespread disruptions, grounding hundreds of flights, closing financial markets for a second day, and halting high-speed rail services between central and southern Taiwan.

Tragically, the typhoon has claimed two lives so far. One man fell while trimming a tree, and another died when his vehicle was hit by a falling rock. Both incidents occurred on Taiwan’s eastern, mountainous regions, which have been hit particularly hard by torrential rain, causing landslides and road blockages.

Although Taiwan is no stranger to typhoons, Krathon’s path was unusual. The storm hovered off the coast for some time before making landfall on Taiwan’s west coast—a rarity in a region where storms typically strike the east. Local media has described Krathon as a “weird” storm due to its erratic behavior and unusual trajectory.

Amid the chaos, the Southern Taiwan Science Park, home to major semiconductor factories like TSMC, reported that operations were continuing as normal. However, heavy rainfalls exceeding 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) in parts of eastern Taiwan led to significant flooding and mudslides.

In an unrelated but tragic incident, six people died in a hospital fire in Pingtung County. Efforts were made to evacuate patients as authorities worked through the storm to manage the disaster.

Typhoon Krathon is expected to weaken into a tropical depression by Friday as it continues moving north, but authorities remain on alert for further impacts.

 

Taiwan Mobilizes Troops and Prepares for Storm Surge as Powerful Typhoon Krathon Approaches

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On Tuesday, Taiwan took extensive precautions ahead of the powerful Typhoon Krathon, mobilizing nearly 40,000 troops to support rescue efforts as the storm threatens to bring a significant storm surge along the island’s southwestern coast. The coast guard is also engaged in a search for 19 sailors who abandoned a sinking ship off Taiwan’s southeast coast.

Although Taiwan regularly experiences typhoons, Krathon is expected to make landfall on the more densely populated western plains, rather than the typical mountainous east coast. The typhoon is forecast to strike Kaohsiung, a major port city of 2.7 million people, on Wednesday afternoon before moving northeast across the island and heading out to the East China Sea. The U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center has classified Krathon as a super typhoon.

Kaohsiung authorities have declared a public holiday, advising residents to stay indoors as the storm approaches with gusts exceeding 150 kph (93 mph). Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) warns that heavy rains could cause severe flooding in coastal areas due to an anticipated storm surge and difficulty in discharging water.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai compared the storm’s intensity to 1977’s Typhoon Thelma, which killed 37 people and devastated the city. The mayor urged residents to remain indoors and prepare for the worst-case scenario. “After the typhoon, the whole of Kaohsiung was without water and electricity, just like a war,” Chen said, recalling Thelma’s destruction.

As the city braces for the storm, fisherman Chen Ming-huang has been securing his boat in the harbor, fearing it could drift away if ropes snap under the storm’s pressure. Other residents are making preparations, such as practicing the rapid installation of metal barriers to prevent flooding in underground parking lots. “We will have only a few minutes to react if the flooding is coming,” said Chiu Yun-ping, a building committee member.

Taiwan’s defense ministry has placed over 38,000 troops on standby for rescue and recovery operations. Meanwhile, off the coast, the coast guard is racing to rescue 19 sailors from the cargo vessel Blue Lagoon, which was forced to abandon ship after water flooded its engine room. The crew, consisting of Ukrainians, Egyptians, and Russians, had set sail from China for Singapore.

The typhoon has also disrupted transportation across Taiwan, with domestic and international flights grounded, boats to outlying islands canceled, and some rail lines closed. In the city, most businesses have shuttered, and streets are largely deserted as residents hunker down for the storm.

Technology giant TSMC, which operates a large factory in nearby Tainan, has enacted its standard typhoon preparations and does not expect significant disruptions to its operations. However, residents near the Kaohsiung harbor are making their own emergency plans. “It’s a strong typhoon, and we are worried,” said local resident Chen Mei-ling, who has stocked up on torches and emergency food supplies.