Reuters reported that Taiwan (China) canceled hundreds of flights and closed schools, offices and financial markets on October 2 before super typhoon Krathon made landfall.
At 1:00 p.m. on October 2, the center of the storm was located at approximately 21.9 degrees north latitude; 119.4 degrees east longitude, in the northeastern sea of the North East Sea, 130km southwest of Kaohsiung (Taiwan, China).
The strongest wind near the storm center is level 14-15 (150-183 km/h), gusting over level 17; moving northeast at 5-10 km/h.
Authorities in the port city of Kaohsiung, which was at the centre of the storm, told residents to stay home and away from the sea, rivers and mountains, warning of a repeat of Typhoon Thelma in 1977, which killed at least 37 people after devastating the city of 2.7 million.
Forecasters said threats of high waves, strong winds and heavy rain remained high as the storm slowly approached the coast of Taiwan.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai said the storm would weaken as it made landfall, but would still bring fierce winds and rain.
"But if the storm moves north, the winds will strengthen again, so the threat to Kaohsiung will continue to exist and people cannot take this lightly," Chen Chi-mai said.
Once it makes landfall, the storm could weaken into a tropical depression and dissipate - something that has only happened once before in Taiwan (China) in 2001. That year's Typhoon Trami dumped heavy rain that led to severe flooding.
The fire department reported that as of October 2, one person had died, two others were missing, and 70 people were injured due to Typhoon Krathon.
On October 2, domestic flights and 246 international flights were canceled, and more than 10,000 people were evacuated, mainly in the south and east.
In Taipei, some shopping malls and stores remain open, with rain expected only later in the day.
Typhoons typically hit Taiwan's sparsely populated and mountainous east coast facing the Pacific, but Krathon is forecast to hit the island's flat western plains.
