Taiwan warns Typhoon Kong-rei is intensifying ‘rapidly’

TAIPEI: Authorities in southeastern Taiwan suspended some ferries and advised fishermen to return to shore on Tuesday (Oct 29) as the island’s forecaster warned that approaching Typhoon Kong-ray was intensifying “rapidly”.

According to the Central Weather Administration, the maximum wind speed is 155 km/h. The storm could make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

“It is now intensifying rapidly,” meteorological agency spokesman Lin Po-dong told a news conference.

Lin warned that waves could reach heights of 5 to 6 meters on Wednesday, with heavy rain also forecast for the capital Taipei.

Disaster officials in Taitung County, which was expected to bear the brunt of Kong Ray based on the storm’s current path, advised fishermen to return to shore and secure their boats while ferry service to outlying islands was suspended .

“The main impact on Taitung will be due to strong winds,” the local fire agency said.

Further north, in the coastal city of Hualien, which was hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in April, authorities had supplies ready for vulnerable people and vehicles ready to evacuate people.

Taiwan is used to frequent tropical storms from July to October, but scientists warn climate change is increasing their intensity, leading to heavy rain, flash floods and strong wind gusts.

In July, Gemi became the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan in eight years, killing at least 10 people, injuring hundreds and causing widespread flooding in the southern seaport city of Kaohsiung.

This was followed by early October Cratonwhich killed at least four people and injured hundreds, and caused landslides, flooding and record-breaking wind gusts.

To avoid a recurrence of flooding, efforts have been “increased to clear sediment from rivers and other areas,” said Yi-fung Wang, a spokesman for the Water Resources Agency under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.