Typhoon Podul Hits Southern Taiwan, Schools and Offices Closed

Taipei, Aug 13 (AP) - Typhoon Podul made its way across southern Taiwan, prompting the closure of schools and government offices due to concerns over heavy rainfall damaging agriculture in the island's southeast. No significant damage was reported.

The typhoon made landfall in Taitung county on the east coast shortly after noon, traveling across the southern part of the island at a speed of approximately 36 kilometers per hour. By 5:00 pm (0900 GMT), its center had moved just off Taiwan's west coast, heading into the Taiwan Strait and towards China, as reported by the Central Weather Administration. In China, proactive measures were taken in the coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, where authorities called back fishing boats to port and relocated around 15,000 coastal residents to shelters further inland.

Reports from Taiwanese media indicated that one person is missing on the east coast. Typhoons like Podul usually hit Taiwan's east coast forcefully before diminishing in speed and strength as they traverse over the Central Mountain Range towards the Chinese coast. Podul spanned 120 kilometers in diameter and was expected to expand even as it weakened while moving westward.

The affected areas were well south of the capital, Taipei, sparing Taiwan's main international airport and its high-tech industrial hub. However, around a dozen flights, potentially traveling toward the storm's path, were either delayed or canceled.

The counties and cities bearing the brunt of the storm included Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi, Yunlin, Pingtung, Hualien on the east coast, and the Penghu island group in the Taiwan Strait. In addition to flooding concerns, typhoons frequently cause damage to fruit and other cash crops, and trigger landslides through the central regions of the island.

Recently, central and southern Taiwan have already experienced heavy rains causing significant crop damage but few casualties, while also disrupting electricity in rural areas, which took weeks to restore. (AP) NPK NPK

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