Typhoon Podul makes landfall in China after hitting Taiwan

Typhoon Podul hit southeastern Taiwan on Wednesday, bringing high gusts and heavy rain.

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) reported wind gusts of 191 kilometres (119 miles) per hour as the typhoon made landfall in Taitung County about 1:00 p.m. (0500 GMT).

More than 5,500 people living in the typhoon’s path were evacuated.

 

 

Typhoon Podul fell to a severe tropical storm when it stormed onshore in southeastern China early Thursday, according to state media, after wreaking havoc across Taiwan, closing businesses, suspending planes, and knocking out power to thousands of homes.

 

Also read https://www.tvcnews.tv/again-taiwan-faces-typhoon-threat-as-podul-set-to-make-landfall/

 

Podul made its second landfall in Fujian province’s Zhangpu County, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said, citing the provincial meteorological observatory, reporting maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometres (67 miles) per hour.

As Podul swept across storm-battered central and southern areas of Taiwan, it toppled dozens of trees and triggered flooding.

Streets in the port city of Kaohsiung were littered with fallen branches.

“Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi will become major rainfall hotspots tonight, with increasing rain also expected in Penghu and Kinmen,” CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen told a briefing attended by President Lai Ching-te.

All domestic flights across the island of 23 million people were cancelled on Wednesday, along with dozens of international journeys.

More than 63,000 households are still without power.

High-speed rail services on the west coast were reduced, while train services in the southeast were cancelled.

Many ferry services were also suspended, and businesses and schools across the south closed.

More than 31,500 soldiers were ready to assist in rescue and relief efforts, disaster officials said.

The CWA said mountain areas in Kaohsiung and Tainan could be hit with a cumulative 400-600 millimetres (16-24 inches) of rain from Tuesday to Thursday.

Parts of other provinces such as Hunan and Jiangxi in central China will also see heavy to torrential rain, CCTV added.

Podul comes after weeks of intense weather in central and southern Taiwan, which is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October.

Typhoon Danas, which hit Taiwan in early July, killed two people and injured hundreds as the storm dumped more than 500 mm of rain across the south over a weekend.

Scientists have shown that human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.

Global warming, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is not just about rising temperatures, but the knock-on effect of all the extra heat in the atmosphere and seas.