TAIWAN: Typhoon Haikui tore through Taiwan, resulting in over 40 injuries as it swept across the island, toppling trees and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents.
The storm, which arrived on the east coast last Sunday, marked the first direct hit on the island in four years.
Two people suffered injuries when a falling tree struck a car in a mountainous area during heavy rain and strong winds.
Officials reported that dozens of others were wounded, primarily by falling debris.
On Monday, cleanup teams were busy restoring services following a power outage that affected 160,000 homes on Sunday. But so far, there have been no reports of significant structural damage.
While it’s typhoon season in the Western Pacific, marked by the occurrence of 11 typhoons, Haikui stands out as the first major storm to make a direct impact on Taiwan in four years.
On the island, businesses, schools, and other establishments remained shut, and both domestic flights and ferry services to nearby islands were cancelled.
Despite the storm’s peak winds reaching 200 km/h (124 mph), there were no significant reports of structural damage or fatalities.
The southern and eastern parts of Taiwan experienced the most severe impact, while the capital Taipei in the island’s northern region received rainfall.
Prior to the storm’s landfall, over 7,000 individuals were relocated from regions where authorities were concerned about potential landslides and other storm-related collapses.
Typhoon Haikui has now diminished in strength to a tropical storm as it advances into the Taiwan Strait, heading towards China’s southern coastline, where it is expected to make landfall on Monday night, local time.
It comes only two days after Typhoon Saola, which missed Taiwan but raised the greatest storm threat in Hong Kong and southern China as it approached. When the hurricane hit Hong Kong on Saturday, less damage was reported than was anticipated.
On Monday, Chinese authorities extended the warnings from Saola into Haikui as the new typhoon arrived, urging boats to enter the port with severe winds and large waves.
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