TAIWAN: Early on Thursday, a category four typhoon hit the southern point of Taiwan, causing one of the greatest wind gusts ever recorded in history, as well as around 200 injuries.
Typhoon Koinu unleashed wind gusts reaching 95.2 metres per second, equivalent to a staggering 342.7 kilometres per hour (212.9 miles per hour), as it swept across Taiwan’s outer Lanyu (Orchid) island on Wednesday night.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) confirmed that this wind gust stands as the highest ever recorded in Taiwan since its establishment in 1986. The gust was so intense that it damaged the island’s anemometer, the CWA stated.
This gust seems to be the third strongest ever observed worldwide. A 408 km/h gust was reported on Barrow Island in Western Australia in 1996, surpassing the previous record of 372 km/h set in 1934 on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, USA.
“Koinu,” which translates to “puppy” in Japanese, struck Taiwan’s Hengchun peninsula in the far south as a powerful Category 4 typhoon. The fire services reported a total of 190 individuals injured, primarily in cities along the West Coast, including Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.
Chiayi’s emergency operation centre noted that some of the injured were scooter riders who either lost control in the powerful winds or were struck by falling branches. As a result of the typhoon’s impact, over 62,000 homes and businesses had lost power by noon on Thursday.
Waves reaching heights of up to seven metres were reported, and online videos depict substantial damage to residences and storefronts in coastal regions.
The typhoon prompted authorities to shut down schools and offices in large parts of Taiwan, with the exception of the capital, Taipei, which maintained its regular operations. Furthermore, ferry services and domestic flights were either halted or disrupted.
Koinu is the second typhoon to strike Taiwan this year after Haikui made landfall on the island in September, triggering landslides, widespread evacuations, and numerous injuries. Taiwan had not experienced a direct hit from a typhoon in four years despite its location within an active tropical storm-prone zone.
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