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Parts of Taiwan were grappling with floods, downed trees, and continued rainfall after Typhoon Haikui made a second landfall early on Monday.
On Sunday, coastal Taitung bore the brunt of the typhoon’s initial impact. The typhoon was downgraded to a severe tropical storm after its surprise second landfall in southwestern Kaohsiung.
Haikui initially appeared to move through the island and out to sea before the second landfall.
Thousands evacuated
Over 7,000 were evacuated, hundreds of flights were canceled, and more than 217,000 households lost power. By Monday, 58,000 homes were still without electricity. There were no reports of any deaths.
Local reports highlighted significant flooding in Kaohsiung, and nearly 80 individuals suffered minor injuries during the storm.
Schools and businesses in 14 cities remained closed due to the heavy rain.
President urges caution
Typhoon Haikui brought torrential rain and strong winds to eastern Taiwan on Sunday becoming the first major storm to hit the island directly in four years.
On Sunday,President Tsai Ing-wen asked people to practice caution as 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.
Taiwan has also mobilized its soldiers and other equipment like amphibious vehicles and inflatable rubber boats.
Haikui is now set to affect southern and northeastern regions.
Haikui considered a weaker storm than Saola
According to the Tropical Storm Risk tracker, Typhoon Haikui was expected to be a category 1 or 2 typhoon when it hit Taiwan.
It is considered to be a much weaker storm in comparison to Typhoon Saola which hit Hong Kong and southern China on Saturday.
By Monday morning, China’s national weather and ocean forecasters issued alerts for Haikui as it moved into the Taiwan Strait, heading towards China.
Taiwan last experienced a storm in 2019 called Typhoon Bailu which claimed one life.
ss, rm, ns/sms (Reuters, AFP)
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