Thousands evacuated in Taiwan as Tropical Storm Fung-wong closes in

The slow-moving storm is due to make landfall on Wednesday night after leaving the Philippines.

Taipei, Taiwan — More than 3,300 people in Taiwan have been evacuated from their homes as Tropical Storm Fung-Wong closes in on the island, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

The slow-moving storm was about 140km (87 miles) southwest of Taiwan on Wednesday morning, according to its Central Weather Administration, with winds measuring 72km/h (45mph) and gusts of up to 101km/h (63mph).

Fung-wong, downgraded from a super typhoon, is expected to make landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday evening and move northeast over the island, the weather bureau said.

Earlier this week, the storm caused 18 deaths in the Philippines due to floods and landslides, according to The Associated Press news agency; however, it has since slowly weakened as it approached Taiwan.

Schools and workplaces across southern and eastern Taiwan were nevertheless shuttered on Wednesday, and all domestic flights were cancelled in anticipation of Fung-Wong ‘s arrival.

Parts of Taiwan have already seen heavy rain and flooding before the arrival of Fung-wong, with one community in the north receiving 783.5mm (3 inches) of rainfall as of Tuesday evening.

The bulk of Taiwan’s evacuation order has been issued for Hualien County on the island’s rugged east coast, which is prone to landslides and earthquakes. The region usually takes the brunt of Taiwan’s typhoon damage.

At least 19 people were killed in Hualien in September when a barrier lake in the mountains overflowed during another typhoon, sending 60 million tonnes of water and debris into a nearby community.

Barrier lakes are formed from a combination of rainwater and landslides, and they cannot be easily dismantled if ground conditions are deemed too unstable. The same barrier lake has been under observation all week, according to Taiwan’s Forestry Bureau.

A video shared by CNA shows an overflowing creek surging through a nearby village of about 300 people in Hualien County on Tuesday, where high floodwaters easily pushed around a car caught up in them. A second video shows a road on a low-lying plain completely washed out by fast-moving water.

Heavy rain advisories remain in effect for parts of Taiwan until Thursday morning, when Fung-wong is expected to move out to sea.