Some 30,000 households across Taiwan were without power Sunday morning, as Typhoon Chanthu pummeled the country with strong winds and heavy rains, but no major casualties have resulted from the storm, so far, according to the government.
The power outages began Saturday night, as Typhoon Chanthu approached Taiwan from the south, carrying heavy rains and maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 198 km per hour, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).
As the storm moved northward, churning along Taiwan’s east coast, it knocked out electricity in 28,659 households, the ministry said.
As of 1 p.m. Sunday, however, power had been restored to all except 2,942 households, spread across Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties in the east and Taichung and Changhua County in the west, the MOEA said.
Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) said that as of Sunday morning, it had received 130 reports from across the country about damage caused by the typhoon, but no major casualties were reported.
Most of storm damage was reported in Taipei and New Taipei, where Chanthu toppled trees, the CEOC said, adding that 111 of the reports had been dealt with as of Sunday morning.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI), meanwhile, said it was working with nine local governments, including those in New Taipei, Hsinchu County and Nantou County, to evacuate residents who were in danger from the storm, and 2,591 people had been moved to safer locations as of 7 a.m. Sunday.
However, the MOI said, it has been unable to establish contact with one person, who reportedly was last seen hiking in Hualien.
On the roads, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said, it had taken a precautionary decision to close the eastern section of Provincial Highway No. 8, which connects the east and west coasts of the island, and several sections of Suhua Highway between Yilan and Hualien.
At noon Sunday, traffic controls were put in place on National Freeway No. 5, on the section between Toucheng and Suao in Yilan, to warn motorists of strong winds brought by the typhoon, the MOTC said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI), meanwhile, said it was working with nine local governments, including those in New Taipei, Hsinchu County and Nantou County, to evacuate residents who were in danger from the storm, and 2,591 people had been moved to safer locations as of 7 a.m. Sunday.
However, the MOI said, it has been unable to establish contact with one person, who reportedly was last seen hiking in Hualien.
On the roads, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said, it had taken a precautionary decision to close the eastern section of Provincial Highway No. 8, which connects the east and west coasts of the island, and several sections of Suhua Highway between Yilan and Hualien.
At noon Sunday, traffic controls were put in place on National Freeway No. 5, on the section between Toucheng and Suao in Yilan, to warn motorists of strong winds brought by the typhoon, the MOTC said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel