Taiwan braces for a powerful typhoon to hit its largest port, after lashing northern Philippines

Taipei, Taiwan CNN —

Taiwan has put its military units on standby and closed schools and offices across several counties on Tuesday, as the island braces for a powerful typhoon set to make landfall in the next couple days, after bashing the Philippines.

Super Typhoon Krathon, equivalent to a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, is currently situated in the Bashi Channel in the northern part of the Luzon Strait, between Taiwan and the Philippines. As of 11:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, it had winds of 240 kph (150 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

It is expected to weaken slightly before making landfall near Taiwan’s major port city of Kaohsiung on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning local time, as it moves northeast across the island, bringing heavy rains, strong winds and storm surge.

The storm, known locally in the Philippines as Julien, has already lashed the country’s northernmost islands, prompting evacuations and severe flooding in coastal communities. Rainfalls of up to 100-200mm (4-8 inches) have been recorded across the northern Batanes islands.

Nearly 23,000 families in three regions have been affected by the storm, the Philippines’ national disaster agency said Tuesday, according to the Philippine News Agency, as authorities work to assess the damage.

Rescuers help residents as they negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called «Typhoon Julian» at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, September 30, 2024.

On Tuesday, Taiwan’s president warned of the “catastrophic damage” that the storm could impose on the island and warned “everyone must be particularly vigilant.”

“Typhoon Krathon has intensified into a strong typhoon with strong wind,