Typhoon Podul hit Taiwan on Wednesday, closing businesses, cancelling flights, and disrupting electricity supply to tens of thousands of homes, while regions of mainland China braced for the storm.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) reported wind gusts of up to 178 kilometres (111 miles) per hour shortly before the typhoon made landfall in Taitung County, southeastern Taiwan.
According to the National Fire Agency, one person was swept away while fishing, and 33 were injured.
Over 7,300 people were evacuated, and trees and signs were toppled as the storm swept across central and southern regions still recovering from storms from last month.
“We are worried about this typhoon,” Kaohsiung fisherman Huang Wei said as he tied down his boat with extra ropes hours ahead of Podul making landfall.
“We had already made general typhoon preparations yesterday, but this morning I woke up and saw news reports that the typhoon has intensified to be as strong as the last, (Typhoon) Krathon,” Huang told AFP.
Krathon slammed into Kaohsiung in October, with wind gusts reaching 162 kph.
CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen announced at a briefing attended by President Lai Ching-te that Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Chiayi in the southwest will become “major rainfall hotspots tonight”.
On Wednesday, all domestic flights on the 23 million-person island, as well as dozens of international planes, were cancelled.
More than 134,500 households had power interruptions.
High-speed rail services on the West Coast have been reduced, and train services in the Southeast have been cancelled.
Many ferry services have been suspended, and businesses and schools in the south have closed.
More than 31,500 soldiers were ready to help with rescue and relief activities, disaster officials said.
The CWA predicts that hilly areas in Kaohsiung and Tainan would get 400-600 mm (16-24 inches) of rain between Tuesday and Thursday.
Podul was predicted to make landfall on mainland China’s southeastern coast between Xiamen and Shantou on Wednesday night or Thursday morning, according to Chinese official broadcaster CCTV.
Some schools in Guangdong province have halted lessons, while train and boat services have been suspended, according to reports.
Heavy to torrential rain is expected in several central Chinese regions, including Hunan and Jiangxi, according to CCTV.
Typhoon Danas killed two people and injured hundreds when it dumped over 500 millimetres of rain in early July.
That was followed by severe rain from July 28 to August 4, with some regions receiving more than Taiwan’s 2024 rainfall total of 2.1 metres.
According to a disaster official, the week’s terrible weather killed five people, left three missing, and injured 78 others.
Taiwan is accustomed to numerous tropical storms between July and October.
Natural disasters are also common on mainland China, especially during the summer, when some areas receive heavy rain while others broil in scorching heat.
According to official media, 13 people were killed by flash floods and mudslides in northwest China this week, and 44 people were killed by heavy rain in northern Beijing last month.
Scientists have demonstrated that human-caused climate change is producing more severe weather patterns, which can increase the likelihood of disastrous floods.
Global warming, which is mostly caused by the use of fossil fuels, is more than just rising temperatures; it also includes the cumulative effect of all the extra heat in the atmosphere and seas.
Warmer air can carry more water vapour, while warmer oceans cause more evaporation, resulting in heavier downpours and storms.
