Typhoon Podul shuts schools, offices in Taiwan and disrupts southern flights

Typhoon Podul prompted schools and government offices to close in Taiwan on Wednesday, with authorities on the lookout for heavy rains that could bring more damage to agriculture in the region.It was unclear how serious the storm would be, with high waves and winds over much of the east coast but no major rain as of yet. On Wednesday morning, Podul was southeast of the island, moving at 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour, and was expected to make landfall later in the day before moving swiftly across the island’s southern tip, according to the Central Meteorological Agency.

Such storms typically hit the east coast hard before losing strength as they pass over the Central Mountain Range before continuing toward the Chinese coast. Podul’s skirt measured 120 kilometers (75 miles) across and was expected to broaden even while losing strength as the storm moved westward across the Taiwan Strait.

The areas affected are well south of the capital, Taipei, along with Taiwan’s main international airport and high-tech industrial base. Around a dozen flights that would have traveled south toward the path of the storm were delayed or canceled.The counties and cities of Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi, Yunlin, Pingtung and Hualien on the east coast and the island group of Penghu in the Taiwan Strait are expected to take the brunt of the storm.

Along with flooding, typhoons routinely damage fruit and other cash crops and bring landslides through the island’s center. Much of central and southern Taiwan was badly hit by heavy rains in recent weeks that caused severe damage to crops but minimal casualties, while also knocking out electricity to rural areas that took weeks to repair.

Recovery crews are on alert due to recent heavy rains.