Key Takeaways
- Tropical Storm Champi has caused widespread damage in Taiwan and Japan.
- Over 600 people were injured and one person died in Taiwan.
- China has warned of strong winds and heavy rain as the storm approaches its eastern coast.
A powerful tropical storm, Champi, has caused significant disruption in Taiwan and Japan before heading towards China.
In Taiwan, the storm knocked out power to over 340,000 households and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
More than 5,000 people were evacuated from their homes, and the storm caused trees to fall, power lines to be brought down, and brief flooding.
One person was killed and over 600 injured since Thursday, when the government began issuing warnings about the typhoon.
Power has been restored to more than 90% of the affected households, but most shops across northern and central Taiwan remained closed for a second day.
The storm is expected to move north towards China, with authorities warning of strong winds and heavy rain.
In China, some train services have been suspended, and tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Shanghai.
The storm was briefly a super typhoon as it crossed the ocean, with reported maximum sustained wind speeds of nearly 300kph.
Its intensity weakened overnight as it made a loop off Taiwan’s northeastern county of Yilan, where it has dumped at least 65cm of rain since Thursday.
Although the typhoon is gradually departing, we would like to remind the public that coastal areas will still experience swells and strong wind gusts.
Wuu Woan-hwa, Central Weather Administration
I was really scared because I was on the bridge. My scooter was shaking.
Martha Wang, 55-year-old secretary
I went to the convenience store to eat yesterday (evening), and everything was fine.
William Yu, 55-year-old librarian
