|
TAIPEI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Meranti ripped its way through southern Taiwan on Wednesday, leaving more than 863,000 homes without any power as strong winds and heavy downpours battered the island, according to Taiwan Power Company on Wednesday.
According to the power company, at least 518,000 households were still cut off from the power grid as of 7:33 p.m. Wednesday. Among them, more than 236,000 were in Kaohsiung City in the south of the island.
Typhoon Meranti, rated the strongest so far this year, was carrying winds of up to 209 km per hour as it neared the island, the meteorological agency said.
More than 710,000 homes suffered water shortages and at least 9 people had sustained injuries as of 4:00 p.m. due to the typhoon, which also forced local schools and businesses to close.
Meanwhile, more than 230 flights on the island were canceled on Wednesday, in addition to the cancellation of 168 flights scheduled to or from Taiwan.
The typhoon also paralysed water transportation and disrupted train services in the east and south of the island on Wednesday, according to local authorities.
Taiwan's meteorological agency Wednesday issued a land and sea warning for the typhoon affecting 13 counties and cities in southern and eastern parts of the island, including Kaohsiung, Taitung and Hualien.
According to the agency, as the typhoon moves westward, more torrential rain is expected in the south. The level of precipitation in a mountain observatory in Pingtung County had reached 718 millimeters as of 5:00 p.m.,the agency said.
Local authorities issued flood warnings for cities and counties including Kaohsiung and Hualien as rainfall continued.
Typhoon Meranti arrived in Taiwan around two months after the deadly typhoon Nepartak left three people dead and injured about 300 others on the island, in addition to cutting power and grounding flights.
