Typhoon Champi disrupts Taiwan and eastern China, heads toward Japan

Typhoon Champi battered Taiwan with destructive winds and torrential rain before moving toward China’s eastern coast and Japan, killing one person, injuring hundreds and disrupting travel across the region.

Taiwan shut schools, offices and financial markets across most of the island on Friday as the storm passed close to its northeastern coast. Authorities said a man died after being swept away by waves on Liouciou island. The Central Emergency Operations Center reported 350 injuries by Friday evening, while more than 4,300 people were evacuated, according to Al Jazeera. Power was cut to tens of thousands of homes, though service was restored to most.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said Champi had weakened after briefly becoming a super typhoon, but still carried gusts of about 191 kph and had a radius of roughly 320 km. More than 500 mm of rain was recorded at one station in Yilan County, and cumulative rainfall of up to 900 mm was forecast in mountainous parts of northern and northeastern Taiwan. All 262 domestic flights and 717 international flights were cancelled Friday, while high-speed rail continued operating.

By Saturday, Champi was affecting China’s eastern coast. Authorities relocated tens of thousands of people, and flights were cancelled in Shanghai and parts of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. The storm was forecast to weaken and turn northeast toward Japan, where flights had already been cancelled and thousands of households in Okinawa experienced power outages.