Reuters' latest storm news said that on October 1, Taiwan (China) mobilized nearly 40,000 soldiers to be ready for rescue efforts as super typhoon Krathon approached the island's southwest coast.
Taiwan (China) is regularly hit by typhoons, but they usually hit along the eastern coast facing the Pacific Ocean, which is mountainous and sparsely populated.
However, Krathon — which the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center has classified as a super typhoon — is forecast to make landfall in the island's flat, densely populated western plains.
According to the latest storm forecast from the Taiwan Meteorological Administration (CWA), super typhoon Krathon will make landfall in Kaohsiung in the early afternoon of October 2, then move northeast through the center of the island and out into the East China Sea.
The city of about 2.7 million people in Kaohsiung has declared a national holiday and asked people to stay home as super typhoon Krathon approaches.
CWA weather forecaster Li Meng-hsiang said super typhoon Krathon has reached its maximum intensity and may weaken as it approaches Taiwan (China).
However, experts still warn of gusts of more than 150 km/h in the southwest of the island.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai said the strength and path of super typhoon Krathon were comparable to Typhoon Thelma, which killed 37 people and devastated the city in 1977.
"After the storm, the whole of Kaohsiung lost power and water, and it was like wartime. Residents should limit going out as much as possible," he recalled the 1977 storm and called on people to be vigilant against the latest super typhoon to hit Taiwan (China).
Taiwan's Defense Ministry has put more than 38,000 soldiers on combat duty.
As Typhoon Krathon prepares to make landfall off the southeastern coast of Taiwan, a rescue helicopter has rescued 13 of the 19 crew members of a cargo ship that capsized while en route from China to Singapore. The rescue helicopter is continuing its efforts to rescue the remaining six crew members.
Taiwan's Transportation Authority (China) reported that 88 domestic flights and 24 international flights have been canceled, and boats traveling to remote islands have also been suspended. A total of 234 domestic flights are expected to be canceled due to the impact of super typhoon Krathon in Taiwan (China) as of October 2.
In Kaohsiung, most shops and restaurants were closed, traditional markets were closed with the streets almost deserted.
According to the latest storm news from AP, super typhoon Krathon is moving slowly towards Taiwan (China) with maximum winds of 198 km/h and gusts of 245 km/h.
In the northern Philippines, Typhoon Krathon 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 a hangar in Lingayen town in Pangasinan province were also flooded due to the impact of the latest storm.
