Taiwan shuts down ahead of Typhoon Champi, hundreds of flights cancelled

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YILAN, Taiwan — Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Friday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Champi (Rosal in the Philippines), which is forecast to bring strong winds and torrential rain, and though the storm is weakening it could still make direct landfall on the island.

At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi was still packing gusts of around 191 kph (119 mph) near its center, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The storm was about 320 km (198 miles) east of Taiwan's southern tip, the CWA said. The storm's forecast track shows it will pass just off northeastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.

One person was killed and 94 were injured in Taiwan, where the government said almost 1,300 people had been evacuated from mountainous areas.

CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng told Reuters that landfall could not be ruled out if it "stalls, loops, or wobbles from side to side" on approach to Taiwan.

"The storm's wind radius is quite large, among the bigger ones in recent years," Liu said. "If the storm slows down, the strong winds will affect Taiwan for longer."

Coastal towns received mobile phone alerts warning of gusts exceeding 150 kph (93 mph) and urging residents to seek immediate shelter, while nearly a metre (3 feet) of rain was forecast for northern mountain areas, including around Taipei.

In the northeastern county of Yilan, where strong winds and heavy showers were intensifying and the typhoon was forecast to pass close by later on Friday, authorities distributed sandbags and put amphibious vehicles and inflatable rescue boats on standby.

"When necessary, the military will come in to help people, including using amphibious vehicles for evacuations or disaster relief," said Lee Ming-chen, head of the port town of Suao, which was badly flooded in previous typhoons.

Huge radius

Taiwan forecasters said the storm's radius was around 320 km (200 miles), large enough to cover most of Taiwan, and weather experts said its impact could last nearly two days.

Taiwan's financial markets also closed on Friday, while only the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which sit next to the Chinese coast, will open schools and offices as normal.

The transport ministry said all 262 domestic flights were cancelled for Friday, along with 669 international ones. The north-south high-speed rail service was operating as usual.

In the capital Taipei there were squally showers, but public transport including the subway was working, albeit with reduced service.

Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low. Although more common in summer, the storms can strike in autumn too.

The typhoon is forecast to first pass over Japan's westernmost inhabited island, Yonaguni, in Okinawa Prefecture. — Reuters