TAIPEI — Taiwan issued a land warning and evacuated more than 3,000 residents on Tuesday as Typhoon Fung-wong moved closer to the island, bringing the threat of intense rainfall to its mountainous east.
Fung-wong, which weakened after sweeping through the Philippines, where it left six people dead, is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s southwest coast near the major port city of Kaohsiung on Wednesday.
Forecasters said the storm will likely pass across the southern tip of Taiwan before exiting into the Pacific along the coastline of Taitung and Hualien, two sparsely populated eastern counties prone to heavy rain and landslides.
President Lai Ching-te urged the public via Facebook to avoid mountains, coastal areas, and other high-risk locations as the storm approaches.
In September, severe floods triggered by an earlier typhoon killed 18 people in Hualien.
Authorities have since ordered evacuations in the township of Guangfu, site of the deadly floods, and moved a total of 3,337 people from four counties and cities to safer ground.
Schools and government offices in Hualien were closed on Tuesday, while neighboring Yilan County implemented similar shutdowns.
Officials added that the northern city of Hsinchu, home to semiconductor giant TSMC (2330.TW), is not expected to be directly affected by the typhoon.