Taiwan faced its third typhoon in two weeks and experienced a complete shutdown, with thousands evacuated, schools and offices closed across the island and hundreds of flights disrupted
Typhoon Megi
NASA satellite image shows Typhoon Megi (20W) in the western Pacific. Pic/AFP
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Taipei: Taiwan faced its third typhoon in two weeks and experienced a complete shutdown, with thousands evacuated, schools and offices closed across the island and hundreds of flights disrupted.
About 36,000 households have lost power due to the typhoon so far. A total of 575 international and domestic flights were cancelled as Tuesday morning, and 109 delayed. Most trains were also halted.
More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and around 2,000 are in shelters, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center. Additionally, over 35,000 soldiers are on standby to help with disaster relief.
Local residents walk on a suspension bridge in Bitan in the New Taipei City, as Typhoon Megi approaching the east Taiwan. Pic/AFP
Ahead of the storm, more than 3,700 tourists had already been evacuated at the weekend from Orchid Island and Green Island -- both popular with visitors. Typhoon Megi is moving at 18 kilometres an hour -- slower than previously forecast -- delaying the time of landfall to around 0900 GMT today, according to Taiwan's weather bureau.
Hualien and Taitung, which are also popular with visitors for their coastlines and landscapes, will be in the firing line.
Those areas are still trying to recover from damage brought by Super Typhoon Meranti earlier this month -- the strongest storm for 21 years to hit Taiwan. Meranti, which left one dead in Taiwan before killing another 28 as it moved to eastern China, was followed closely by the smaller Typhoon Malakas.
Typhoon Megi is expected to make landfall in eastern Taiwan later but is already bringing widespread violent winds and torrential rain as it nears the island.
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