يتجه إعصار غايمي القوي نحو تايوان، ومن المتوقع أن يغرق الصين الغارقة بالفعل

A powerful and rapidly intensifying typhoon is bearing down on Taiwan, killing at least one person and injuring dozens of others as authorities close financial markets, schools and offices.

Conditions in Taiwan have worsened as Typhoon Gaemi brought heavy rainfall, gusty winds and a dangerous storm surge. The storm is expected to strengthen into a super typhoon before making landfall on Taiwan’s northeastern coast Wednesday afternoon.

A woman was killed when she was hit by a collapsed tree while riding on a motorbike in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, according to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC). At least 58 other people have been wounded, mainly in the southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan.

Ad Feedback

The typhoon is then forecast to move toward China’s Fujian province on Thursday, bringing more strong winds and downpours to a country already hit hard by weeks of extreme rain and deadly flooding.

Gaemi is currently the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 230 kph (145 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

It will land along the coast of Yilan county, not far from the epicenter of April’s earthquake in Hualien. The 7.4 magnitude quake was the largest Taiwan had seen in 25 years, injuring more than 1,000 people and collapsing buildings.

Taiwan is often struck by typhoons and has a generally strong track record in preparing for the damaging winds and downpours they can bring, especially in its cities. The more at-risk populations tend to be in remote and mountainous areas, especially on the east side of the island, where landslides can pose a major danger.

Taiwan’s Central Meteorological Agency (CMA) has issued a sea and land typhoon warning for the entire main island as Gaemi’s powerful winds are expected to strengthen further to 240 kph (150 mph).

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te also inspected the CEOC headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday morning, urging residents not to make trips unless they can ensure their safety.

Businesses taped windows in preparation for Typhoon Gaemi in Taipei, Taiwan on July 23, 2024. Yimou Lee/Reuters

Heavy rain hit Taiwan ahead of the storm’s landfall on Wednesday, with the island’s mountainous areas already reporting rainfall between 275 to 518 mm (10.8 to 20.3 inches).

Typhoon Gaemi is strengthening in Pacific waters that have been at their warmest temperatures on record. Scientists have found that hotter oceans caused by the human-caused climate crisis are leading storms to intensify more rapidly.

Gaemi, the first typhoon of the season to affect Taiwan, has strengthened by 96 kph (60 mph) in the past 24 hours, well exceeding the definition of rapid intensification of 56 kph (35 mph) in 24 hours.

RELATED ARTICLEWhat rapid intensification means for hurricanes

Most Taiwanese cities, including the capital Taipei, chipmaking hub Hsinchu and the southern city of Kaohsiung, closed schools and offices on Wednesday while Taiwan Railways suspended some rapid train services.

Dozens of flights and all regular train services have also been canceled for Wednesday and Thursday, with three of Taiwan’s largest carriers – EVA Air, China Airlines and Starlux Airlines – announcing disruptions due to the typhoon.

Taiwan’s defense authorities said they had to modify ongoing annual five-day Han Kuang War Games due to the typhoon. The live-fire drills are the biggest annual military exercises of their kind in Taiwan, where the armed forces are increasingly vigilant against the threat of invasion from China.

“We will adjust some of the air and naval elements given the typhoon situation,” defense ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fiang told reporters in Hualien.

Streets flood in the Philippine capital Manila on July 24, 2024 amid heavy rains brought by Typhoon Gaemi. Jam Sta Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

Gaemi has also forced the closure of schools and government offices in the Philippines as heavy rains hit the Manila capital region and the main island of Luzon. Some flights have been canceled and the Philippine Stock Exchange said it would cease all trading Wednesday.

Images show roads and streets in Manila flooded by rains brought by the storm, as people wade through knee-deep water.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said more than 770,000 people have been affected by the typhoon and southwest monsoon in the country’s southern regions, and 4,500 personnel were on standby to assist with search and rescue operations.

Motorists cross a flooded street in Manila on July 24, 2024 amid heavy rains brought by Typhoon Gaemi. Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images

Streets flood from monsoon rains worsened by offshore typhoon Gaemi on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Manila, Philippines. Joeal Capulitan/AP

More extreme weather misery for China

Because the storm is strengthening prior to hitting Taiwan, Gaemi will also be stronger than previously expected when it hits China Thursday afternoon local time (early Thursday morning ET).

RELATED ARTICLESummer of devastating floods shows steep challenge for China as it grapples with extreme weather

Though weakened, Gaemi is expected to make landfall in China as the equivalent to a strong Category 1 or low-end Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 to 160 kph (90 to 100 mph.)

The worst of the winds are expected to occur in coastal areas of Fujian province, where boats have moored to take shelter and trains will be suspended Thursday, but heavy rain will spread across Fujian, southern Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces for the rest of the week.

By the weekend, the remnants of Gaemi will likely spread heavy rainfall farther north into areas of China like Henan, Shanxi and Hebei provinces which have been hit hard by flooding in recent days.

For many in China, the prospect of another major storm bringing more water is a big concern.

In the past two weeks, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated across multiple provinces in China following deadly floods and landslides, which have blocked highways, destroyed homes and caused devastating financial losses as they wiped out crops and livestock.

Boats return to port to shelter from Typhoon Gaemi on July 23, 2024 in Taizhou, China. VCG/Getty Images

Torrential rainfall hit southern, central and eastern parts of the country and led to major emergency response efforts in a flood season that has started some two months ahead of its typical schedule.

In Henan province, the flooding came after a period of scorching temperatures that complicated efforts to grow and irrigate vital crops in parts of central China’s agricultural heartland. Then, extreme rain inundated tens of thousands of acres of cropland and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes, according to state media.

The flooding in Henan and surrounding provinces – and the double hit of arid heat and floods in a matter of weeks – has prolonged what has already been a devastating period of extreme weather across China that’s forecast to continue.