Typhoon Champi Shuts Taiwan and Cancels Hundreds of Flights
Typhoon Champi disrupted travel and daily life across Taiwan and parts of Japan as it approached Taiwan’s north-eastern coast on Friday. Schools and offices closed in nearly all 22 Taiwanese counties and cities, the $5tn stock exchange suspended trading, and about 1,000 people were evacuated. One person died after being swept away by waves, while 171 others were injured.
Champi was producing gusts of 191km/h and was expected to bring as much as 90cm of rain to north-eastern Taiwan, with rainfall peaking on Saturday morning and continuing into the evening. Authorities warned people to avoid coastal and mountain areas. Weather agencies expected the storm’s eye to pass Taiwan without making landfall, although the Central Weather Administration said an unpredictable stall, loop or sideways wobble could still alter its course.
The typhoon was forecast to pass near Japan’s Okinawa islands, linger off China’s eastern coast and then curve towards Japan’s main island. Nearly 8,400 Okinawa households lost power, and four Japanese airlines cancelled more than 160 flights. Heavy rain and winds also struck the Philippine island chain of Batanes, though no casualties were immediately reported there.
Champi had briefly become the year’s strongest storm, reaching sustained winds of 298km/h before weakening. It is Japan’s 30th typhoon of the year, the first season since 2013 to reach that number, amid an unusually strong El Niño that is heating the Pacific and helping fuel intense storms.
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