Taiwanese authorities have warned residents to prepare for the impacts of Super Typhoon Kong-rey as the intensified storm approaches the island.
According to CNN, after wreaking havoc in the Philippines, Typhoon Kong-rey is moving northwest over the Philippine Sea and is expected to make landfall in Taiwan early Thursday, October 31, 2024, in Taitung, mountainous southeastern coast.
As per the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), Key-rey reached the strength of a super-typhoon on Wednesday with winds of 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour), equivalent to a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane.
Meteorologist Chu Mei-lin, in a press conference with the weather agency of the island on October 30, 2024, said, “As the typhoon continues to move towards the northwest, almost the whole of Taiwan will be covered by the storm circle later tonight.”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Tuesday issued a sea warning and on Wednesday issued an evacuation warning to more than half of the counties that are expected to be hit by the storm.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te in a post on his Facebook page urged residents to stay away from the coast and mountains. He wrote, “I would like to urge my friends in the eastern, southern, and northern parts of the country to be on alert.”
The administration of the Island warned that heavy rain is expected in the north around the capital Taipei throughout on Thursday.