Taiwan mobilised nearly 40,000 troops on Tuesday to bolster rescue efforts as the powerful Typhoon Krathon approaching its populous southwest coast is expected to bring a storm surge and the coast guard raced to locate 19 sailors who abandoned ship, Reuters reported.
Nearly 40,000 troops have been mobilised in Taiwan to strengthen rescue efforts as the powerful Typhoon Krathon approaching its populous southwest coast.
The typhoons is likely to bring a storm surge after striking parts of northern Phillippines and the coast guard raced to locate 19 sailors who abandoned ship.
the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued the latest sea and land alerts for Typhoon Krathon, six cities and counties around Taiwan have announced schools and office closures on Tuesday.
According to the Central Weather Administration (CWA), Krathon is likely to hit the major port city of Kaohsiung on Wednesday morning, then move towards the the centre of Taiwan heading northeast and cross out into the East China Sea
Home to some 2.7 million people, Kaohsiung declared a holiday and told people to stay at home as Krathon approached and is expected to strike as a category 4 storm according to Tropical Storm Risk.
Li Meng-hsiang, a forecaster for Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, stated that the storm has reached its maximum intensity and could weaken slightly as it moves closer to Taiwan, warning of gusts of more than 150 kph (93 mph) for the southwest.
More than 38,000 troops have been on standby to deal with the typhoon, said Taiwan’s defence ministry.
The transport ministry stated that 85 domestic flights and nine international ones had been cancelled for Wednesday, with boats to outlying islands also stopped.
Most shops and restaurants pulled down their doors and shutters, and traditional wet markets shut with streets mostly deserted in Kaohsiung.
