Typhoon Krathon, a slow-moving but powerful storm, made landfall in southern Taiwan, leaving behind a trail of destruction and claiming at least two lives. The storm, which began on a calm note, gradually picked up pace and ferocity, turning into a raging typhoon, shaking the tiny island nation to its core with its unrelenting force.
The first fatality was a 70-year-old male resident who was buried under a landslide. Local police reports have confirmed that the senior citizen’s house, nestled on a hillside in Pingtung County, was overrun by a landslide caused by the typhoon’s heavy rain. Despite all the rescue efforts, the landslide proved too unwieldy, and they could only recover his body.
The second reported death was a female in her 60s who was tragically swept away by surging floodwaters in Kaohsiung City, significantly hit by the typhoon. Her body was found near a local river after a frantic search, giving a face to the human toll caused by Typhoon Krathon.
Typhoon Krathon’s slow progress across Taiwan meant that it pounded the areas in its path for many hours. Although the typhoon moved relatively slowly, at approximately eight miles per hour, this allowed it to unleash its destructive power for a prolonged duration, causing much more devastation than faster, fleeting storms. The torrential rains caused numerous landslides and widespread flooding, and gale-force winds brought down power lines and knocked out electricity in several parts of the country.
The storm resulted in the evacuation of over 1,000 people from their homes in the southern parts of the island. In some areas, residents had to be airlifted to safety by the military due to the severity of the flooding. Public transportation systems were severely affected, with many roads blocked and train services suspended. Schools and offices across the island were closed for safety reasons.
The island’s Central Weather Bureau reported that the eye of the Typhoon Krathon moved across southern Taiwan, whipping it with gusts of wind exceeding 100 mph at its peak and dumping nearly 20 inches of rain on some parts of the country. Agricultural losses are expected to be significant, with banana farms and fish farms particularly hard hit. Despite the losses, the bureau pointed out that the rains brought by the Typhoon were a mixed blessing in some areas suffering from water scarcity.
As Typhoon Krathon moves away from Taiwan and heads towards southeastern China, it leaves in its wake a