Podul hits China after lashing Taiwan

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, August 15 ------ Typhoon Podul weakened to a severe tropical storm when it roared ashore in southeastern China, state media said, after carving a path across Taiwan, shutting down businesses, grounding flights, and knocking out power to thousands of homes. Podul made its second landfall in Fujian province’s Zhangpu County, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency said, citing the provincial meteorological observatory and reporting maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometers (67 miles) per hour.

On Wednesday, wind gusts of up to 178 kph were recorded shortly before the typhoon slammed into Taiwan’s Taitung County, the island’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. One person is missing after he went fishing and was swept away, and 112 people were injured, disaster officials said. More than 8,000 people were evacuated from their homes.

As Podul swept across central and southern areas of Taiwan, it toppled dozens of trees and triggered flooding. Streets in the port city of Kaohsiung were littered with fallen branches. “Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Chiayi will become major rainfall hotspots tonight, with increasing rain also expected in Penghu and Kinmen,” CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen told a briefing attended by leader Lai Ching-te.

Flights scrapped, schools shut

All domestic flights across the island of 23 million people were canceled on Wednesday, along with dozens of international journeys. More than 63,000 households were still without power. High-speed rail services on the West Coast were reduced, while train services in the Southeast were canceled. Many ferry services were also suspended, and businesses and schools across the south closed. More than 31,500 soldiers were ready to assist in rescue and relief efforts, disaster officials said.

The CWA said mountain areas in Kaohsiung and Tainan could be hit with a cumulative 400 to 600 millimeters (16 to 24 inches) of rain from Tuesday to Thursday. In mainland China, some schools in Guangdong province paused classes while train and ferry services have been temporarily halted, state-run China Central Television reported. Parts of other provinces, such as Hunan and Jiangxi in central China, will also see heavy to torrential rain, the broadcaster added.

Source: manilatimes.net