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Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes as Taiwan braced for the arrival of Typhoon Haikui on Sunday.
The storm is set to make landfall in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of southeast Taiwan later Sunday.
It is expected to bring torrential rainfall and strong winds across the south and eastern parts of the island.
Taiwan on standby
Taiwan evacuated nearly 3,000 people from their homes, canceled over 200 flights, called off classes and declared a day off for workers.
President Tsai Ing-wen asked people to practice caution and said Haikui “will be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in four years.”
She asked people to avoid going out and not to go up the mountains, to refrain from going towards the coast, fishing or engaging in water sports.
Fong Chin-tzu, the deputy director of the weather bureau said Haikui has “gathered strength since yesterday.”
Taiwan has also mobilized its soldiers and other equipment like amphibious vehicles and inflatable rubber boats.
Haikui considered a weaker storm than Saola
According to the Tropical Storm Risk tracker, Typhoon Haikui is expected to be a category 1 or 2 typhoon when it hits Taiwan.
It is considered to be a much weaker storm in comparison to Typhoon Saola which hit Hong Kong and southern China on Saturday.
The storm is expected to cross the Taiwan Strait into China.
Taiwan last experienced a storm in 2019 called Typhoon Bailu which claimed one life.
ns/sms (Reuters, AFP)
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