Taiwan prepares for a strong typhoon that worsened monsoon rains in the Philippines, killing 12

Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan closed offices, schools and tourist sites across the island on Wednesday ahead of a powerful typhoon that has already worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, killing at least 12 people and displacing 600,000.

The outer skirt of Typhoon Gaemi was bringing heavy rain to much of Taiwan, where it was expected to make direct landfall Wednesday night in northern Ylan County. Fishing boats were called into port amid turbulent seas, as air travelers scrambled to board overseas flights before the storm hit, amid numerous cancellations.

On Wednesday morning, the typhoon was east of Taiwan and was moving at 13 kilometers (8 miles) per hour with maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour, with gusts of 198 kilometers (123 miles) per hour. time, according to the Central Meteorological Administration. saying. In the capital, Taipei, heavy rain was falling, but strong winds had not yet arrived.

Gaemi, which was called Carina in the Philippines, did not make landfall in the archipelago, but intensified seasonal monsoon rains. The rains triggered at least a dozen landslides and floods in five days, killing at least eight and displacing 600,000 people, including 35,000 who rushed to emergency shelters, the Philippines’ disaster risk mitigation agency said.

A landslide buried a rural shanty in Agoncillo town in Batangas province on Tuesday, and the bodies of a pregnant woman and three children, aged between 9 and 15, were unearthed on Wednesday morning, raising the death toll in the country at 12.

In the densely populated region around the Philippine capital, government work and school classes were suspended after incessant rain flooded many areas overnight, trapping cars in rising waters and leaving people stranded in their homes. Residents who ventured out of their homes waded into knee- and waist-deep floodwaters, and some used makeshift boats and paddled alongside cars, trucks and all-terrain vehicles.

“I have instructed all concerned agencies to provide rapid assistance to all those affected by Typhoon Carina and the strengthening southwest monsoon,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement he posted on social media platform .

The Philippine coast guard said more than 350 passengers, cargo truck drivers and workers were stranded at seaports after ferries and cargo ships were banned from venturing into rough seas. He added that coast guard personnel helped more than 200 residents evacuate a coastal village in Batangas province, south of Manila, where storm-tossed waves hit coastal homes.

The storm caused the cancellation of air force exercises off Taiwan’s east coast and ferry services on Tuesday.

Despite occasional flooding, Taiwan has substantially improved its resilience through early warning and preparations. The storm’s effects were expected to continue into Friday as it moved northwest toward mainland China.