YILAN: Taiwan closed schools and evacuated thousands from their homes on Wednesday ahead of Typhoon Gaemi, which authorities said could be “the strongest” to hit in eight years and has already killed two people on the island. The typhoon also exacerbated seasonal rains in nearby Philippines, triggering flooding and landslides that killed six.

A forecaster with Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said the typhoon was “spinning at a slower speed so the precise time is difficult to determine”. “Gaemi is expected to be the strongest typhoon in eight years to make landfall in Taiwan since Typhoon Nepartak,” forecaster Huang En-hong said, referring to a 2016 superstorm that killed three and injured hundreds.

The typhoon had caused torrential rain and whipped up winds across Taiwan before its arrival, killing one motorist in southern Kaohsiung city who was crushed by a falling tree, and a woman in eastern Hualien, authorities said. More than 200 people had been injured by Wednesday evening, authorities said.

President Lai Ching-te, who took part in a morning emergency briefing, urged the public to “put safety first” during what would be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan this year.

“I hope that through our joint efforts, impact from the typhoon can be minimised... I also encourage fellow citizens across the country not to go out unless necessary during the typhoon, especially not to dangerous places,” Lai said. Trains and ferry services were suspended and hundreds of international and domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2024