By Yan Zhuang and John Liu
Tropical Storm Krathon slammed into Taiwan’s populous southwestern coast Thursday, authorities said, bringing torrential rain and heavy winds that have caused landslides, floods and power outages. Two people had been killed, and over 200 have been injured.
The storm made landfall as a typhoon at 12:40 p.m. in Kaohsiung, a major port city home to 2.7 million people, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said. It was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday evening, and the weather administration predicted it would weaken into a tropical depression Friday as it moved north over land.
Krathon had lingered near Taiwan’s southern coast for two days, weakening as it approached the island. Still, its slow pace has allowed it to wreak havoc, lashing some areas with relentless rain. Taitung County, in the southeast, has received up to 4.2 feet of rain since Tuesday, while nearby Pingtung County has received about 3.9 feet in the same period.
Heavy rain triggered multiple landslides in Taitung, Pingtung and the northeastern port city of Keelung. Flooding has also swept Keelung and Kaohsiung. Power outages affected more than 240,00 homes across the country, the Central News Agency reported, and more than 12,000 households were without water. The storm’s winds also overturned shipping containers, damaged buildings and toppled trees.
With more rain on the way, Taiwanese officials warned people to stay on guard for more landslides. Low-lying areas were at risk of flooding, Chen Chi-Mai, mayor of Kaohsiung, said on social media.
As Krathon continued to weaken and restoration efforts were underway, local governments said offices and schools would reopen across the country Friday, except in the hard-hit regions of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties, and parts of Hualien County and New Taipei, according to the Central News Agency.
Taiwan’s National Fire Agency on Thursday afternoon said two people had died and 219 had been injured during the storm. In Hualien County in the east, a 70-year-old died from falling off a ladder when attempting to prune tree branches. In Taitung, a 66-year-old truck driver died after crashing into a large rock that fell onto the road.
The storm complicated rescue efforts after a fire broke out at Antai Hospital in Pingtung County and killed nine people Thursday, including an employee of the hospital, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. The remaining 324 patients at the hospital were rescued, the county’s mayor said on social media. The fire was put out in the afternoon.
Taiwanese authorities shut down the island Wednesday and Thursday, closing schools and workplaces and the national stock exchange. All domestic flights have been grounded, and many international flights were canceled Thursday. More than 10,000 people had been evacuated in multiple counties as of Thursday afternoon.
Although typhoons are common in Taiwan, they usually hit the island’s mountainous, sparsely populated east coast, and rarely make landfall on the more populated west coast.
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