More than 3,300 people in Taiwan have been evacuated as Tropical Storm Fung-Wong edges closer, lashing the island with heavy rain and strong winds, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.
By Wednesday morning, the slow-moving storm was hovering about 140km (87 miles) southwest of Taiwan, packing sustained winds of 72km/h (45mph) and gusts up to 101km/h (63mph), the Central Weather Administration reported.
Once a super typhoon, Fung-Wong has weakened but still poses a serious threat. It’s expected to make landfall on Wednesday evening before tracking northeast across the island, bringing torrential downpours and dangerous gusts.
The storm has already left a trail of destruction in the Philippines earlier this week, where 18 people were killed by floods and landslides, according to the Associated Press.
Taiwan isn’t taking chances. Schools and businesses across the south and east shut down on Wednesday, while all domestic flights were cancelled. Parts of the island have already seen severe flooding, one northern community recorded a staggering 783.5mm (over 30 inches) of rainfall by Tuesday night.
Most evacuations are concentrated in Hualien County, Taiwan’s disaster-prone east coast region known for its steep mountains and frequent landslides. The county suffered one of the island’s deadliest typhoon tragedies in September, when a barrier lake burst and killed at least 19 people after releasing 60 million tonnes of water and debris.
Officials say the same unstable barrier lake has been under close watch this week. Videos shared by local media show floodwaters surging through a small village in Hualien, sweeping away cars, while another clip shows a road completely washed out by fast-moving water.
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