The strongest typhoon to make landfall in mainland China so far this year, Typhoon 'Bailu,' made landfall on the afternoon of the 13th along Taiwan's Taitung coast. On Green Island and Orchid Island, winds exceeded force 17, flipping metal sheds and trucks. Currently, the whole of Taiwan has reported 1 dead, 1 missing, 112 injured, 254,000 households without power, and dozens of flights canceled.
After crossing the Taiwan Strait, 'Bailu' is expected to make a second landfall between Xiamen in Fujian and Shantou in Guangdong during the night of the 13th into the early hours of the 14th, bringing huge waves and heavy rainfall to the coastal regions of Fujian and Guangdong. Both provinces have raised their typhoon emergency response to level II, and the city of Chaozhou in Guangdong suspended all classes on the 13th.
This year’s 11th typhoon, 'Bailu,' made landfall on the Taimali coastal area in Taitung County at around 1 pm on the 13th, as a severe typhoon, with the maximum wind force near the center reaching force 14 at landfall. In the area near the landing site, wind strengths reached force 14 to 15, and gusts exceeding force 17 were measured on Green Island and Orchid Island. Heavy rain fell in regions including Orchid Island and Chiayi, while strong winds and huge waves hit Penghu, with sea waves washing over the land in some low-lying areas. On the 13th, all work and study were suspended in Taitung County, and Kinmen County also announced suspension of work and classes early on the morning of the 14th.
Angler Swept Away, Truck Flipped Over
The powerful typhoon struck Taiwan forcefully, and reports of disasters continued to emerge. On the Haomeili Beach in Chiayi’s coastal area, a tourist was swept away by waves while fishing and is currently missing, with search and rescue ongoing; in Fengshan District of Kaohsiung, a mother and daughter were struck by a tree blown over by strong winds and have been hospitalized. In Qianzhen District, a 77-year-old man surnamed Zhang died after he fell from the third floor while inspecting a leaking roof.
On Green Island, corrugated metal houses were tossed and rolled by fierce winds, and motorcycles lined up on the street were blown over in piles; a truck parked by the roadside was overturned—as if in a disaster movie. At a construction site in a large building in Taitung, scaffolding was toppled by the strong winds. The typhoon caused power outages in 58,000 households in Taoyuan and more than 20,000 households in Tainan.