Typhoon Podul Disrupts Taiwan, Closes Schools, Offices

Taipei, Aug 13 (AP) — Typhoon Podul has led to the closure of schools and government offices across Taiwan on Wednesday, as authorities remain vigilant for heavy rainfall that could further impact the region's agriculture.

Current projections of the storm's severity remain uncertain. High waves and strong winds have been reported along much of Taiwan’s east coast, though significant rain has yet to arrive.

As of Wednesday morning, Typhoon Podul was positioned southeast of Taiwan, advancing at a speed of 155 kilometers per hour. The Central Meteorological Agency anticipated it would make landfall later in the day, swiftly traversing the island's southern tip.

Typically, such storms strike the east coast with intensity but lose power when encountering the Central Mountain Range, continuing their journey toward China's coastline.

Podul's outer bands stretched 120 kilometers and were expected to expand, even as the storm weakened, while moving westward across the Taiwan Strait.

The affected areas lie primarily well south of Taipei, including Taiwan's principal international airport and the heart of its high-tech industry. Approximately a dozen flights destined south, following the storm's path, faced delays or cancellations.

Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi, Yunlin, Pingtung, Hualien on the east coast, and the Penghu island group in the Taiwan Strait, are predicted to bear the storm's full force.

In addition to causing flooding, typhoons often damage fruits and other cash crops and trigger landslides through the central regions of the island. Recent weeks have seen central and southern Taiwan endure severe rains resulting in significant agricultural damage, but few casualties. The extreme weather also led to outages in rural areas where power restoration took weeks.

Recovery teams remain on standby, given the recent deluge of heavy rain. (AP)

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