Taiwan has mobilized nearly 40,000 troops to aid rescue efforts as the powerful typhoon "Kraton" is approaching the southwest coast of the island and is expected to bring strong storms and heavy rains, reported "Reuters", quoted by BTA.
Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, but they usually reach the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast, on the Pacific side, first. The typhoon "Kraton" however, it is expected to hit the western densely populated plain of the island.
According to the forecasts "Kraton" will hit the major port city of Kaohsiung tomorrow, then pass through central Taiwan to the northeast and enter the East China Sea, the Taiwan Central Meteorological Administration said.
In Kaohsiung, home to about 2.7 million people, a public holiday was declared and residents were asked to stay indoors. "Kraton" is expected to hit the west coast as a category four storm, according to data from the platform "Tropical Storm Risk" (TSR), based in Great Britain.
A forecaster from the Central Meteorological Administration said the storm has reached its maximum intensity but may weaken slightly as it approaches Taiwan. Wind gusts are forecast to reach over 150 km/h in the southwestern part of the country.
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense announced that it has put more than 38,000 military personnel on standby to help in the affected areas. Meanwhile, residents of Kaohsiung continue their preparations to deal with the typhoon.
Taiwan's coast guard sent a boat off the island's southeast coast to rescue 19 sailors from the cargo ship Blue Lagoon. Sailors were forced to abandon ship after the engine room flooded. The rescue helicopter, which was supposed to evacuate the crew, turned back due to the strong wind and rain.
The crew of the "Blue Lagoon" consists of seven Ukrainians, nine Egyptians and three Russians who traveled from the Chinese port of Caofeidian to Singapore.
Yesterday, the mayor of Kaohsiung, Chen Chimai, warned that the city should prepare for a storm that could cause significant damage. He announced that 1,690 people had already been evacuated and stressed that the typhoon "Kraton" can cause disasters in the mountainous areas around the city.
Taiwanese authorities said more than 1,000 rubber boats and 15,000 military personnel were on standby across the country, including along the east coast, where up to 1.3 meters of rain was expected in the coming days.
"All military hospitals have formed emergency medical teams and are ready to respond at any time," said Ministry of Defense spokesman Sun Lifan.