Taiwan: Taiwan has prepared for the arrival of Typhoon Gaemi by closing financial markets, giving people the day off work, cancelling flights, and placing the military on standby amid forecasts of heavy rain and strong winds.
Gaemi, the first typhoon of the season to impact Taiwan, is expected to make landfall on the northeast coast, according to the Central Weather Administration.
Currently classified as a medium-strength typhoon, Gaemi is expected to move across the Taiwan Strait and hit China’s southeastern Fujian province by July 26th. In rural Yilan county, where Gaemi will first make landfall, strengthening wind and rain led to the closure of restaurants and other offices leading to largely deserted roads.
The transport ministry of Taiwan reported that nearly all domestic flights and 201 international flights had been cancelled. All rail services were to be halted from midday (0400 GMT), except for the high-speed rail connecting northern and southern Taiwan, which continued to operate.
TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, and a major supplier to Apple, stated that its factories were expected to maintain normal production during the typhoon, having activated routine preparation procedures.
Over 2,000 residents were evacuated from sparsely populated mountain areas at high risk of landslides due to the anticipated ‘extremely torrential rain,’ the government announced. Taiwan’s defence ministry stated it was ready to assist with disaster relief, with 29,000 soldiers on standby.
Typhoon Gaemi is forecast to make landfall in China’s Fujian province on July 25th, with a cloud system extending across the Western Pacific, northern Philippines, and parts of the South China Sea. It is expected to turn north, bringing rain to Chinese provinces such as Hubei, Henan, and even Hebei.
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