Continued weakening of the storm is expected, but Meranti should remain at typhoon strength for about the next 12 hours, forecasters said.
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The world’s strongest super typhoon this year, Meranti, killed at least 10 people and injured several others in China, the government said on Friday.
It was only within a matter of hours that Meranti grew from a typhoon to a super typhoon and became the strongest storm in the western Pacific Ocean since Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines back in November 2013.
Hundreds of thousands of homes were left without power and water, while another half a million were in need of repairs. Schools and offices across the south of the island have closed and dozens of flights have been cancelled.
Considering the enormity of the typhoon, over 370 domestic and global flights have been cancelled and train services in the region have also been temporarily suspended.
Taiwan Central Emergency Operating Center’s Li Wei-sen said that around 1,500 people were evacuated in the region until Wednesday morning.
“The typhoon will bring gales and heavy rains when it makes landfall”, meteorologist Li Mei said, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.
Chinese authorities reported no deaths due to the storm, which hit southern Fujian province early Thursday. Authorities have also initiated emergency response measures as the storm approaches.
In 2009, Typhoon Morakot cut a swath of destruction through southern Taiwan, killing about 700 people and causing up to $3 billion of damage.
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But even as the cleanup is underway there, another typhoon, Malakas, is expected to hit Taiwan island late Friday and Saturday.
