Storm
Taiwan braces for typhoon Haikui
The two typhoons Saola (l) and “Haikui” (r) over Hong Kong and off Taiwan. photo
© Suomi Npp/Noaa-Nasa/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Around 3000 people have been evacuated. Around 250 flight connections were canceled. Many offices and schools are closed. The island of Taiwan braces for dangerous winds and heavy rainfall.
Taiwan is preparing for dangerous winds and heavy rain in the wake of Typhoon Haikui. As the government announced, around 3,000 people on the island were evacuated and taken to safe accommodation as a preventive measure. In addition, the airports have canceled around 250 flight connections. Many offices and schools in the south and east Taiwans also remained closed on Sunday.
According to the Taiwan Weather Service, the first precursors of the typhoon reached the island on Sunday morning (local time). The typhoon is expected to hit its strongest during the afternoon through Monday morning. The winds from “Haikui” last reached up to 190 kilometers per hour on Saturday.
On Monday “Haikui” meets southern China
The typhoon is expected to move to southern China on Monday. There, the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian were already struggling with the effects of Typhoon Saola at the weekend. However, due to the broad precautionary measures, this caused less damage than feared. No deaths were registered by the authorities.
The powerful hurricanes occur again and again in the summer months and affect numerous countries in Southeast Asia.