Taiwan evacuates over 3,000 ahead of arrival of Typhoon Fung-wong
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People using umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain and wind in Keelung, Taiwan, on Nov 10 as Typhoon Fung-wong approaches.
PHOTO: AFP
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TAIPEI – Taiwan evacuated more than 3,000 people on Nov 11, issuing a land warning for the arrival of Typhoon Fung-wong, which is expected to dump large volumes of rain on its mountainous east coast.
Fung-wong is forecast to hit land on Nov 12 on the island’s south-western coast around the major port of Kaohsiung, after it caused the deaths of 18 people
“Fung-wong may have been downgraded to a weak typhoon, but we still cannot lower our guard,” Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai told reporters.
On his Facebook page, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te urged people to keep clear of the mountains, the coast and other potentially dangerous areas.
The Transport Ministry said 66, mostly domestic, flights were cancelled on Nov 11.
Fung-wong is expected to cross the bottom part of Taiwan and enter the Pacific Ocean along the coast of the sparsely populated eastern counties of Taitung and Hualien.
A typhoon in September unleashed flooding that killed 18 people
The government, which has ordered evacuations in the town of Guangfu, the scene of those deadly floods, said 3,337 people in four counties and cities had been moved to safer areas.
Hualien closed schools and offices on Nov 11, as did the neighbouring county of Yilan.
The typhoon will not directly affect the northern city of Hsinchu, home to TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker. REUTERS
