The latest typhoon news from Reuters said that on October 1, Taiwan (China) mobilized nearly 40,000 soldiers to be ready for rescue efforts as super typhoon Krathon approached the southwest coast of the island.
Taiwan (China) is regularly hit by typhoons, but typhoons often make landfall along the east coast facing the Pacific Ocean, which is mountainous and sparsely populated.
However, Krathon - a storm identified by the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center as a super typhoon - is forecast to make landfall in the island's flat, densely populated western plains.
According to the latest typhoon forecast from the China Meteorological Administration (CWA), super typhoon Krathon will make landfall in Kaohsiung in the early afternoon of October 2, then move northeast through the island's center and into the East China Sea.
The city of about 2.7 million people in Kaohsiung has declared a holiday, asking people to stay home as super typhoon Krathon approaches.
CWA weather forecaster Li Meng-hsiang said super typhoon Krathon has reached maximum intensity and may weaken as it approaches Taiwan (China).
However, experts are still warning of strong gusts of more than 150 km/h southwest of the island.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai said the power and path of super typhoon Krathon were equivalent to typhoon Thelma, which killed 37 people and devastated the city in 1977.
"After the storm, the entire Kaohsiung lost power, water and was like wartime. Residents should limit going out as much as possible," he recalled the storm in 1977, urging people to be vigilant ahead of the latest super typhoon to hit Taiwan.
The Taiwan Defense Administration (China) has deployed more than 38,000 soldiers to combat duty.
While Typhoon Krathon was preparing to make landfall, off the southeast coast of Taiwan (China), a rescue helicopter took 13 out of 19 crew members on a cargo ship that tilted as it sailed from China to Singapore. Rescue helicopters are continuing to make efforts to rescue the remaining 6 crew members.
The Taiwan Transport Authority (China) informed that 88 domestic flights and 24 international flights have been canceled, and ships traveling to remote islands have also stopped. A total of 234 domestic flights are expected to be stopped due to the impact of super typhoon Krathon in Taiwan (China) as of October 2.
In Kaohsiung, most shops and restaurants have closed, traditional markets are closed with the streets almost deserted.
According to the latest storm news from AP, super typhoon Krathon is moving slowly towards Taiwan (China) with the strongest winds of 198 km/h and gusts of 245 km/h.
In the northern Philippines, Typhoon Krathon has killed at least one person and displaced about 5,000. The latest storm near the South China Sea also damaged more than 2,400 homes and caused widespread flooding in the Philippines.
Due to the impact of Typhoon Karthon, strong winds damaged the airport terminal and two light aircraft parked in Basco - the capital of Batanes province, Philippines.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a runway and an aircraft storage facility in the town of Lingayen in Pangasinan province were also flooded due to the impact of the latest typhoon.
