Taipei, July 7 (IANS) Typhoon Danas made landfall at Taiwan and exited to sea early Monday morning, leaving two people dead and 334 injured, according to local media.
It has caused power outages in over 660,000 households and led to class and work suspensions in more than 10 counties and cities, said local authorities.
Danas was centred about 130 km north of Taipei as of Monday noon, with the maximum wind speed near the centre around 90 km per hour, the local meteorological authority said, adding that while the main island of Taiwan is now outside the typhoon’s storm circle, the northern coastal waters remain under threat.
With a rare track that brushed the island’s densely populated west coast, Danas became the first typhoon to make landfall in Chiayi in 120 years.
As of 8 a.m. Monday, the typhoon had caused a total of 2,270 incidents of damage, most involving basic infrastructure and fallen trees in Tainan, Chiayi, Kaohsiung and Yunlin, according to the local disaster response centre.
As of 10 a.m., the island had cancelled 176 flights, the region’s aviation authority said, adding that flights are expected to resume gradually in the afternoon.
Due to the influence of the typhoon’s outer circulation, heavy to torrential rain is still expected in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung on Monday. The meteorological authority reminded the public to stay away from mountainous areas to prevent accidents, Xinhua news agency reported.
East China’s Zhejiang Province has elevated its typhoon emergency response to Level III at 10 a.m. Monday, as Danas, the fourth typhoon of this year, moves closer.
According to the province’s meteorological observatory, the centre of the typhoon made landfall along the coast of Taiwan’s Chiayi City in the wee hours on Monday. After making landfall, Danas continued to move northward.
At 7 a.m., its centre was located over the sea, approximately 258 km southeast of Wenzhou, Zhejiang. It is expected to make landfall again along the coast between Taizhou in Zhejiang and Fuzhou in neighbouring Fujian Province, sometime between the afternoon and night of July 8.
From July 7 to 9, central and southern Zhejiang, as well as nearby coastal regions, are expected to receive total rainfall of 60 to 90 mm due to Danas, with precipitation in some areas potentially exceeding 350 mm.
Zhejiang has urged all coastal regions and departments to closely monitor the typhoon’s path, strengthen joint consultations, and implement prevention measures in line with the contingency plan. These include sheltering ships, suspending sea routes and halting construction projects.
China’s national observatory also renewed a yellow alert for Typhoon Danas as it is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain.
–IANS
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