Typhoon Champi Brushes Past Taiwan Leaving One Dead And Hundreds Injured
The storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of residents and disrupted travel across the island before tracking toward mainland China and southern Japan.
Typhoon Champi brushed past the northeastern coast of Taiwan early Saturday, leaving one person dead and hundreds injured. The storm knocked down trees, cut power to communities, and brought squalls across central and northern areas.
The Taiwan Fire Department reported one death after high waves swept a man away on Liuqiu Island in Pingtung County. The agency counted 527 injuries across the island. Other reports placed the injury toll at nearly 530, according to the Emirates News Agency, or more than 500, according to Deutsche Welle.
Nearly 2,200 trees fell and more than 700 buildings suffered damage, the Emirates News Agency reported. Peak electrical outages reached between 167,000 households, reported by Reuters, and more than 288,000 households, reported by Taipower. United Daily News reported that crews restored about 80 percent of power by Saturday morning.
Northern and coastal jurisdictions, including Taipei, ordered schools and offices to stay closed for a second consecutive day on Saturday. Taiwan's Ministry of Transportation and Communications reported 242 canceled flights on Saturday, while Focus Taiwan reported 259 cancellations. The groundings followed nearly 1,000 flight cancellations on Friday.
The Central Weather Administration said Yilan County received up to 650 millimeters of rain since Thursday. The Independent reported that forecasts estimated totals could reach 900 millimeters through Saturday. Coastal wind gusts reached 227 kilometers per hour before sustained winds eased to 126 kilometers per hour on Saturday morning.
The storm looped offshore near Yilan County around midnight before moving northward away from Taiwan. Central Weather Administration official Wuu Woan-hwa said powerful offshore winds and swells persisted even after the worst conditions passed. Lin, a retired teacher in Yilan County, told Reuters that the storm caused a sleepless night.
Before the typhoon struck, the Central Emergency Operations Center evacuated roughly 1,300 residents from Hualien, Yilan, and New Taipei. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted Champi earlier reached super typhoon status over the western Pacific, with peak winds near 300 kilometers per hour.
Forecasters expect the weakening storm to move north parallel to eastern China before turning toward southern Japan. In Zhejiang province, authorities suspended 148 ferry routes, ordered 3,800 fishing boats to port, and put 41,000 firefighters on alert. Japan kept Okinawa and the Sakishima Islands under advisory alerts after two people were injured on Ishigaki island.
