Typhoon Kong-Ray, the strongest storm to hit Taiwan in nearly 30 years, made landfall on Thursday, bringing catastrophic winds and torrential rain. The typhoon's wind speeds reached nearly 200 km/h (125 mph), equivalent to a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane. The storm's powerful winds and huge storm surge caused widespread damage, including the collapse of homes and cars, and heavy flooding across the island.
At least one person died and 73 others were injured due to the storm. The storm forced the closure of offices, schools, and the Taiwan stock market. Over 500 flights, including 300 international flights, were cancelled, and ferry services were halted. High-speed rail services were reduced, and the Taipei Metro suspended operations on exposed routes. Evacuations were undertaken for over 8,600 residents of high-risk areas.
Taiwan's authorities responded vigorously to the approaching typhoon. The military mobilized over 4,000 soldiers for rescue operations. The Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) reported that precautionary measures were in place, advising the public to take necessary actions.
Eastern Taiwan faces the most intense rainfall warnings and alerts as the storm continues to bring torrential rain and high landslide risk in mountainous regions. The weather bureau issued an extremely torrential rain warning for areas along the Eastern coast.
Kong-Ray rapidly strengthened to a super typhoon before impacting Taiwan, affecting the Philippines as well before its landfall. The storm's large wind radius (320 km) makes it one of the largest typhoons to impact Taiwan since Typhoon Herb in 1996.
The impacted regions across Taiwan are experiencing extensive flooding, landslides, and the loss of infrastructure. The storm will continue to exert impact throughout the days as its effects spread. The recovery and rebuilding effort will be significant.