Hundreds evacuated as Typhoon Soulik nears Taiwan
TAIPEI: Hundreds of villagers were evacuated and schools and businesses shut down in Taiwan Friday as it prepared for the arrival of Typhoon Soulik, expected to pound the island with powerful winds...
July 12, 2013
Offices and schools closed in Taipei and eight other cities with residents advised to stay indoors as the typhoon churns towards the island.
Packing winds of up to 209 kilometres an hour (130 miles), Soulik is expected to make landfall on the north-east coast around 3am Saturday (1900 GMT Friday), the Central Weather Bureau said.
The bureau downgraded Soulik from a super typhoon to a moderate typhoon but warned residents across the island to prepare for "extreme torrential rain" -- classified as 350mm (13 inches) within 24 hours -- and rough seas.
More than 600 residents were evacuated from six low-lying aboriginal riverside villages outside the capital city on Friday morning.
"I saw TV reporting that the typhoon may bring in up to one metre of rainfall. That would be terrible and reminded me of the painful memories last year," Ginghong Izan, a male migrant from the Amei aboriginal tribe told speaking outside his home in Hsichou village.
"My TV, computer, refrigerator and furniture were all were flooded when (Typhoon) Saola hit in August. It cost me around Tw$200,000 ($6,670)," the 52-year-old said, adding that he started moving valuables to higher parts of his house two days ago.
Saola left six dead, two missing and 16 wounded in Taiwan after taking 23 lives in the Philippines.
Others in the village were busy packing up their personal belongings to take with them and were reinforcing the roofs of the wooden homes they had to leave behind.
