Typhoon Khanun shuts markets, grounds flights in Taiwan

TAIPEI: On Thursday, August 3, as the slow-moving Typhoon Khanun skirted past the region’s east amid warnings of storms and strong winds, Northern Taiwan shut down businesses and schools while airlines canceled tens of flights.

Typhoon Khanun, which Taiwan’s weather service classifies as the second-strongest typhoonic level, moved slowly in the direction of its northeast coast with maximum winds of 198 kmh.

The eye of the typhoon was 360 km off Taipei in the East China Sea as of 9.15 am local time( 0115 GMT ), and it was moving at a speed of about 5 kmh westerly.

Up to 0.6 million tons of rain fell in mountainous central Taiwan and 0.3 million in the mountains close to Taipei as a result of the storm, which was predicted to brush past Taiwan’s north coast late on Thursday before turning sharply north on Friday.

Businesses and schools were closed in northern cities, including Taipei, the cash. The investment and foreign exchange markets in Taiwan were likewise shut down.

All private boat lines were shut down, and nearly 40 worldwide flights were canceled.

While hundreds of soldiers were on reserve in local cities for disaster response, train service in Taipei were cut back.

More than 200, 000 homes in Japan’s well-known holiday destination Okinawa lost power as a result of the wind earlier this week, and one man was killed.

Just one year after Typhoon Doksuri, which brought torrential rains and ferocious breezes to the southern part of Taiwan, Typhon Khanun arrives.