Taiwan shuts down as Typhoon Megi strikes
Baku, September 27, AZERTAC
Taiwan went into shutdown on Tuesday as the island faces its third typhoon in two weeks, with thousands evacuated, schools and offices closed across the island and hundreds of flights disrupted, the RIA Novosti news agency said.
Typhoon Megi is expected to make landfall in eastern Taiwan later Tuesday but is already bringing widespread violent winds and torrential rain as it nears the island.
According to government figures, 20 injuries have been reported so far.
More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and around 2,000 are in shelters, according to the Central Emergency Operation Centre. More than 650,000 households have lost power due to the typhoon so far.
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.
Mountainous regions in eastern Taiwan could see a total of up to 900 millimeters (35 inches) of rain through Wednesday, increasing the risk of landslides.
More than 35,000 soldiers are on standby to help with disaster relief.
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