Tropical storm fung-wong forces mass evacuations in taiwan after deadly philippines impact

Taiwan mobilized extensive emergency measures Wednesday as Tropical Storm Fung-wong approached the island’s southern coast, evacuating over 8,300 residents from vulnerable coastal and mountainous regions. The storm, which had already claimed at least 27 lives while battering the Philippines as a super typhoon over the weekend, prompted authorities to close schools and offices across central and southern Taiwan as a precautionary measure.

The majority of evacuees came from Hualien County on Taiwan’s eastern coast, an area still recovering from a devastating typhoon in September that killed 18 people. Heavy rains ahead of Fung-wong’s arrival have already caused significant flooding, with dramatic footage showing cars being swept away by floodwaters from an overflowing creek that inundated a Hualien village. At least 51 people sustained injuries from the storm’s early impacts, according to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency.

As of Wednesday morning, Fung-wong was tracking northeast through the South China Sea approximately 87 miles southwest of Taiwan, carrying maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Weather officials predicted the storm would make landfall during the afternoon or evening, grazing Taiwan’s southern regions before exiting through the southeastern coast. While the storm has significantly weakened since its destructive passage through the Philippines, authorities urged residents to avoid beaches due to dangerous wave conditions and maintain vigilance as the system passes through. Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, in the northern part of the island, continued normal operations as the storm’s path was expected to spare the densely populated area.