Strong waves break along the coast as Typhoon Kong-rey approaches Taiwan, in Yilan County, on October 30, 2024. I-HWA CHENG / AFP Taiwanese authorities closed schools and offices on islands in eastern Taiwan, as Typhoon Kong-rey approaches, which threatens to cause landslides. Strong winds and torrential rain are expected to batter the island of 23 million people before Kong-rey makes landfall in the southeast on Thursday afternoon, according to forecasts. Kong-rey is preceded by winds of up to 240 km/h as it approaches Taiwan, according to the latest bulletin from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, a meteorological center of the US army. Yilan in the northeast and the Hualien region in the east are expected to be hardest hit, with rainfall expected to reach at least 800 millimeters between Thursday and Friday, the meteorologist told Agence France-Presse. Chang Chun-yao. Heavy rains expected “Given the predicted trajectory of the typhoon, we advise [aux habitants] of Yilan, Hualien and Taitung to take precautions against landslides, and falling debris in places expected to be most affected by heavy rains,” added Chang. The heaviest rains are expected on Taiwan’s eastern and northern coasts, as well as in the mountains of the central and southern regions, according to Taiwan’s Central Meteorological Administration. Classes and office work have been suspended on the two islands off the Taitung region, where the typhoon is forecast to hit directly. Ferry service between the Taiwanese island of Kinmen and the Chinese city of Xiamen was also suspended. The island of Taiwan is accustomed to tropical storms, common from July to October, but it is rather unusual for such a powerful typhoon to hit the island this late in the year, notes Chang. Climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, with heavy downpours, flash floods and powerful gusts of wind, scientists say. In July, Typhoon Gaemi, the most powerful to hit Taiwan in eight years, left at least ten dead and hundreds injured. It was followed by Krathon, which swept across southern Taiwan in early October, accompanied by destructive winds, floods and mudslides, which left at least four people dead and hundreds injured. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Asia, continent most affected by climate disasters in 2023 Read later Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
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