Taiwan in Turmoil as Typhoon Kong-rey Strikes

TAIPEI: Chaos has erupted across Taiwan as the formidable Typhoon Kong-rey slammed into the east coast on Thursday, October 31, marking it as the largest storm to impact the island in nearly three decades. The typhoon shuttered financial markets, wreaked havoc on travel plans with hundreds of flight cancellations, and severely disrupted rail services.

Devastatingly, the storm left around half a million homes without power, according to government reports. Kong-rey made landfall between Taitung and Hualien counties, fiercely battering almost every corner of the island with its intense winds and torrential downpours.

Tragically, the fire department confirmed that one individual lost their life when a truck collided with a fallen tree in central Taiwan. This incident underscores the peril faced by residents as they navigated the storm's treacherous conditions.

While initially classified as a super typhoon, Kong-rey slightly weakened overnight but was still packing powerful gusts exceeding 250 km/h, similar to a Category 4 hurricane. According to the Tropical Storm Risk organization, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration noted this storm as the largest to hit Taiwan since 1996.

As the disaster unfolded, President Lai Ching-te took to Facebook to urge citizens to prioritize safety: “I hope that everyone in the country will co-operate in avoiding disaster and refrain from engaging in dangerous behaviours such as wave watching during the typhoon.”

Meteorological forecaster Gene Huang indicated that after impacting the eastern coast, Kong-rey would maneuver towards the Taiwan Strait, continuing to pose risks to those across the island with high winds.

In an effort to mitigate further environmental impact, officials worked diligently to prevent oil pollution from a Chinese cargo ship that became stranded on Taiwan's northern coastline due to mechanical failure amid the violent weather.

In the eastern county of Taitung, destructive winds were forecasted to exceed 160 km/h, with Lanyu Island experiencing gusts of over 260 km/h before weather monitoring instruments ceased transmission. Local government official Sinan Rapongan revealed the anxiety felt by residents on Lanyu, “It was terrifying last night. Many people on the island didn't sleep, worrying about something happening to their house.

With parts of eastern Taiwan recording up to 1 meter of rainfall since the storm's approach on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry mobilized 36,000 troops for potential rescue operations and pre-emptively evacuated 1,300 individuals from high-risk areas.

In the high-tech sector, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a key player in the global tech supply chain and a major supplier for companies like Apple and Nvidia, stated that it activated standard typhoon alert procedures across its operations. Fortunately, they do not foresee significant disruptions to their manufacturing processes.

As of now, air travel faced a severe blow—314 international flights and all domestic flights were cancelled. Airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Scoot adjusted their schedules and informed travelers about their options for re-accommodations and refunds in light of the adverse weather conditions.

On the rail front, Taiwan's high-speed railway service was diminished significantly but continued to operate.

As Kong-rey is predicted to brush along the coast of China’s Fujian province by Friday morning, residents and officials in Taiwan remain on high alert. Historically a frequent target of typhoons, Taiwan is still reeling from the deadly effects of Typhoon Krathon, which claimed four lives just earlier this month.

Stay tuned for ongoing updates as the situation develops and authorities work tirelessly to ensure the safety of the Taiwanese people.