527 hurt, one dead as Typhoon Champi lashes Taiwan

Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on October 24, killing one person and injuring 527 as damaging winds cut power and disrupted travel, before turning north toward China's coast. ^[4]

Taiwan's fire department said a man died after waves swept him away on Liuqiu. Heavy winds and torrential rain brought hundreds of injuries, while parts of northern and central Taiwan, including Taipei, closed schools and offices for a second day. ^[4]

The storm had weakened from its earlier super typhoon strength. ^[3] Taiwan's Central Weather Administration put gusts near its centre at about 126 kilometres per hour. After passing the island's northeast coast early on October 24, Champi was about 150 kilometres east of Taiwan. ^[1][2]

Its projected route would take it toward China's coast and eventually southern Japan. Reuters reported that it was not expected to make landfall in China, where authorities were nevertheless preparing for strong winds and heavy rain through October 25. ^[4]

In Yilan, a retired teacher inspecting banana trees blown down in his garden told Reuters that the storm had been most terrifying around midnight. He described a sleepless night. ^[4]

Power restored, travel still disrupted

More than 288,000 homes lost electricity at some point during the storm, according to Taiwan's power company, Taipower. Most had been reconnected by the time of the October 24 update. That cumulative figure measures the reach of the outages, rather than the number of homes still waiting for power. ^[4]

Air travel remained badly disrupted, although the number of cancellations had fallen sharply. Taiwan's transport ministry said 259 flights were cancelled on October 24, down from almost 1,000 the previous day. ^[4]

The precise extent of damage, the number of homes still without electricity and the timetable for a full return to normal were not yet known. The casualty count and the storm's track could also change as the response continued.

China brings boats and workers ashore

China's preparations were already affecting work and travel along the coast. Its emergency management ministry sent a team to Zhejiang and warned of strong winds and heavy rain through October 25, according to Reuters. ^[4]

The ministry said 400 rescue workers and 600 pieces of equipment were ready, while more than 41,000 firefighters were on emergency duty. Those were preparations for the approaching weather, not a count of personnel already carrying out rescues. ^[4]

In the coastal city of Taizhou, more than 3,800 fishing boats returned to harbour, according to state media cited by Reuters. Fish-farm workers were brought ashore, and authorities evacuated 2,084 visitors from islands. ^[4]

Authorities also halted 25 offshore construction projects and suspended 18 passenger ferry routes, state media said. The measures pulled people away from exposed workplaces and island journeys before the expected wind and rain. ^[4]

For China, the immediate concern was the weather expected through October 25. Southern Japan lay farther along the projected path, but the forecast remained subject to the storm's changing movement and strength. ^[4]

A powerful storm passing offshore

Champi had earlier reached a peak wind speed equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, according to the BBC's October 23 account. It had weakened before the later Taiwan damage update, but the winds measured near its centre on October 24 remained powerful. ^[3][1]

Typhoons and hurricanes are the same kind of weather system, named differently according to where they form. Both are tropical cyclones, rotating storms whose winds and rain extend beyond their centres. A coastal community can therefore experience dangerous weather even when the centre stays out at sea.

Landfall describes the centre crossing a coast. It is a useful marker for a storm's route, but it does not mark the outer edge of its effects. The eye is only one part of a much broader system, and an offshore track does not keep the surrounding wind and rain offshore.

Nor does a wind category describe every hazard. Hurricane categories measure sustained wind speed, rather than rainfall or the danger from waves. The gusts given in Taiwan's October 24 update describe brief bursts of wind, so they are a different measure from the one used to classify the storm's earlier peak strength. ^[1][3]

As Champi approached Taiwan, authorities urged people to stay away from coasts and mountains. Weather agencies in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan had expected the eye to pass without making landfall in Taiwan. A Taiwan forecaster cautioned at the time that a change in movement could not be ruled out.

The subsequent track took the storm past the northeast coast and northward. ^[3][4]

That sequence left Taiwan dealing with repairs and disrupted journeys while authorities farther along the coast prepared for their own encounter with the weather. The next forecast window runs through October 25, when China's emergency management ministry expects strong winds and heavy rain. ^[4]