Most parts of southern and eastern Taiwan suspended work and classes on the 13th, and hundreds of flights were canceled in preparation for Typhoon 'Lingling', which is set to make landfall later that day.
According to reports from United Daily News and Liberty Times, the center of moderate Typhoon Lingling was located about 60 kilometers south-southeast of Taitung as of 11:00 a.m. Wednesday. The Taiwan Central Weather Bureau stated that Lingling’s center is currently near the offshore area south-southeast of Taitung, moving west-northwest, with its storm circle already engulfing land areas from Taitung, Hualien, Nantou, to regions south of Yunlin, posing a threat to areas south of Miaoli, including Taitung and Hualien, as well as Penghu and Kinmen.
Nine counties and cities, including the southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan, have announced suspension of work and classes on Wednesday. Taipei City remains unaffected.
Earlier, Taiwan's Minister of the Interior, Liu Shih-fang, also requested that the Hualien County government in the east evacuate nearly 700 residents from high-risk townships as soon as possible. It is reported that ahead of Lingling’s arrival, more than 5,500 people across Taiwan had already been evacuated.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation stated that all domestic flights in Taiwan scheduled for Wednesday had been canceled, totaling 252, along with 129 international flights also canceled.
According to Taiwan's two major international carriers, China Airlines and EVA Air, most of the canceled flights are routes departing from Kaohsiung, with some flights at Taoyuan International Airport also suspended.
Taiwan is frequently hit by typhoons, with their landfall paths usually located along the sparsely populated, mountainous eastern coast facing the Pacific Ocean.