Massive waves in Yilan (Taiwan) during Typhoon Haikui, September 3, 2023. I-HWA CHENG / AFP
Haikui, the first typhoon to pass directly over the island of Taiwan in four years, made landfall in the east of the island on Sunday afternoon, the Central Meteorological Bureau said. “The typhoon made landfall in Taitung at around 3:40 p.m. [heure locale, 9 h 40, heure de Paris]it is a little earlier than expected because it is progressing faster,” said Yeh Chih-chun, forecaster at the latter.
In fact, the typhoon was expected to make landfall in this region, which borders mountainous Hualien County, a little later, around 5 p.m. (11 a.m. Paris time).
As it approached, heavy rain and sustained winds of nearly 140 km/h fell on Taiwan.
Almost 3,000 people evacuated
Heavy rain in the streets of Taipei, September 2, 2023. CHIANG YING-YING / AP
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 2,800 people were evacuated as a precautionary measure from seven towns on the island that are considered particularly at risk, mainly from Hualien County. Hundreds of domestic flights as well as train and ferry connections were canceled. Schools and offices were closed in the south and east of the island.
The canceled events included a hot air balloon festival in the central Taichung region, several outdoor concerts, arts events and a baseball festival. National parks and dangerous roads in the mountainous center of the island were also closed. Even the capital Taipei in the north of the island is hit by heavy rain.
The army has mobilized soldiers and equipment such as amphibious vehicles and inflatable boats to areas of the island where the greatest damage is feared.
It must be “the first typhoon to hit Taiwan in four years,” President Tsai Ing-wen stressed on Sunday, urging the population to “prepare” and “avoid going outside or engaging in dangerous activities.”
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According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau, Haikui was about 180 kilometers east of the island as of 9 a.m. local time and had “somewhat strengthened” since then. [samedi] », noted deputy director Fong Chin-tzu during a press conference in which he called on the population to “stay alert”.
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Haikui “is expected to pose a significant threat to most parts of Taiwan through wind, rain and waves,” he warned, adding that the storm would then move west toward the Taiwan Strait. , to China, Monday.
The streets of Hualien were deserted on Sunday morning, while huge waves crashed against the shore at a fishing port in Yilan further north. In Taitung County, strong winds and torrential rains plunged the landscape into a whiteout with no visibility.
But Haikui must be less severe than Saola, which triggered the highest level of alert in Hong Kong and southern China on Saturday before worsening into a tropical storm. The last major storm to hit the island was Typhoon Bailu, which killed one person in 2019.