Typhoon Mitag is about to hit Taiwan ... Please pay attention to your safety and make preparations for the typhoon,– Taiwan premier Su Tseng-chang
YILAN – A typhoon is expected to hit northern Taiwan on Monday (Sept 30), with airlines cancelling dozens of flights and local authorities shutting financial markets and schools.
Typhoon Mitag, categorised as the second-strongest typhoon level by Taiwan’s weather bureau, is approaching the coast of the northeastern county of Yilan with maximum winds of 162kmh. Authorities have issued warnings of floods and high winds on the island.
The bureau issued wind and rain warnings for greater Taipei, the northern port city of Keelung, and other northern counties. It also put out a warning to seafarers around Taiwan, Reuters reported.
“Typhoon Mitag is about to hit Taiwan ... Please pay attention to your safety and make preparations for the typhoon,” Taiwan premier Su Tseng-chang wrote on his Facebook page late on Sunday.
Dozens of flights and ferry services were cancelled, while several highways across the island were shut amid fears of landslides and floods.
The typhoon was expected to approach China’s eastern city of Shanghai on Tuesday, forecasts showed.
Typhoons regularly hit Taiwan, China, the Philippines and Japan in the second half of the year, gathering strength from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean or South China Sea.
In 2009, Typhoon Morakot devastated Taiwan and killed nearly 700 people.