Taiwan today raised the alert for Typhoon Koinu, which as it passed through the south of the island left one person dead, more than 300 injured of various considerations and effects on electricity, water and transportation services. The storm is now about 350 kilometers west of Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost tip of the island, and is moving west at 8 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 119 kilometers per hour, according to the Taiwan Meteorological Administration. .
Until the end of Thursday, there had been reports almost 3,000 incidents related to the passage of typhoonmostly fallen trees on roads and damage to infrastructure, reported the Emergency Operations Center.
An 80 year old woman passed away in the hospital due to cuts suffered from broken glass due to strong winds and another 304 were injured in various accidents, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Health.
The intense precipitation and gusts of wind caused by the meteorological phenomenon also affected supplies, leaving at times 329,000 homes without electricity and 4,513 without water, of which more than 70,000 have not yet recovered any of the services. The impact of the typhoon also caused the total or partial cancellation of 110 trains, 46 international flights, 183 national flights and 136 ferry departures on 15 routes. Besides, six roads and highways have been temporarily closed for security reasons.
Although the meteorological authority has lifted the land and sea alert for a typhoon, warnings for heavy rains, floods and landslides remain in place in much of the island, especially in the counties of Taitung (east) and Pingtung (south), where accumulations of up to 200 millimeters are expected throughout the day. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong the authorities announced that a T3 typhoon warning would be issued this Friday as Koinu was located about 320 kilometers east-southeast of the territory, although the storm is not expected to cause any damage beyond rain. strong, swells and drop in temperatures during the weekend.
Koinu has hit Taiwan just a month after Typhoon Haikui, which made landfall in the southeast of the island in September, leaving at least 40 people injured and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. The typhoon arrived on the island after passing through the north of the Philippines, where strong winds and rains forced the evacuation of about 200 people, caused damage to 26 homes and forced the suspension of classes in a hundred locations, according to data from the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.