“Kangrui”, the largest typhoon to directly hit Taiwan in the past 30 years, has made landfall on Taiwan’s east coast.
Schools and workplaces were closed across Taiwan on Thursday and supermarkets were sold out as millions of residents braced for the storm to hit around 13:40 local time (04:40 GMT).
At some point before Typhoon Kangrui made landfall, wind speeds near its center exceeded 200 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
Hundreds of flights and ferries have also been suspended, as well as the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Authorities said Thursday afternoon that the typhoon had injured more than 70 people and killed at least one person. A 56-year-old woman died when a falling tree hit the vehicle she was riding in.
Authorities said the winds had weakened to a “moderate typhoon” in the evening.
It also caused power outages to 500,000 households, according to electricity supplier Taiwan Electric Power Company.
In Hualien County in the east, a staff member at the local township administrative office told AFP that they had been receiving disaster reports from local residents but were unable to contact them “due to strong winds and heavy rain”.
It is rare for such a big typhoon to come so late. According to the Taiwan Meteorological Administration, Taiwan’s typhoon season generally runs between July and September.
All of the strongest typhoons of the past eight years have occurred within this window. But in October this year, two major storms hit Taiwan. The other was super typhoon Craton, killing four people and injuring more than 700 people.
“I am 70 years old,” a man in Hualien told a TV reporter. “I have never seen a typhoon strike so late.”
Marine scientists report that global ocean surface temperatures have been near record highs since July, meaning there is more heat energy at the surface to feed storm systems.
In addition to the extreme wind speeds of typhoons, one of the biggest threats to life from these storms is often the large amounts of moisture they carry, which can lead to excess rainfall, flooding and landslides.
The worst storm to hit Taiwan in recent decades was Typhoon Morakot in August 2009.
According to the Taiwan Meteorological Agency’s forecast, between October 29 and November 1, the eastern part of Taiwan, which is most affected by Typhoon Kangrui, may receive up to 1,200 millimeters of rainfall.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has put 36,000 troops on standby for possible rescue efforts. Authorities said about 8,600 people have been evacuated from high-risk areas.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te attended a briefing on the typhoon on Thursday morning, urging people to stay home and avoid dangerous areas such as going to beaches to watch the sea.
Kang Lei is expected to gradually weaken after making landfall and crossing Taiwan. The weather agency said the storm would leave the island on Friday.
