Friday, November 1

Typhoon Kong-rey battered Taiwan over the past few days, killing at least one person as it pummeled the island with strong winds and heavy rain.

Kong-rey began as a tropical depression near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands last Thursday, quickly moving west into warmer waters, where it became a tropical storm. It passed by the northern end of the Philippines as well, but it dropped minimal rain over the archipelago. As it moved past the Philippines, though, it began intensifying, and by Monday, the storm was already a typhoon packing winds of 90 mph. It even reached a maximum of 150 mph winds, making it a super typhoon, but it later entered into cooler waters. By the time it arrived in eastern Taiwan, Kong-rey had sustained winds of 115 mph-- equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic.

Prior to the storm’s arrival, thousands of people were evacuated across Taiwan, and over 35,000 soldiers were put on standby with almost 3,400 vehicles and pieces of equipment to prepare for after the storm hit. Schools and offices across the country were closed to prepare as well, along with the island’s stock market. Highways and all rail services were shut down as well, and hundreds of flights have been canceled.

The storm made landfall near the town of Chenggong with dangerous winds of over 150 mph, pummeling Taiwan’s eastern coast with devastating storm surge and heavy rain. One person was killed, a 56-year-old woman, when a tree fell on the truck she was sitting in, and at least 200 others were injured during the storm.The city of Taitung, located on the island’s southeastern coast, received winds of over 100 mph and waves of over 32 feet, surging over the region’s protective seawalls. Off the coast of Taitung, a small isle by the name of Lanyu Island recorded wind gusts of over 162 mph before the area’s anemometers stopped working. 

However, Kong-rey didn’t just affect the towns in its path. The typhoon stretched over 200 miles wide, allowing it to easily engulf the entire island of Taiwan in thick clouds with heavy rain. While the storm moved quickly through the western Pacific, it slowed down as it approached, allowing it to drop more rain as well. Totals of 6-12 inches were expected throughout Taiwan, and localized totals reached over two feet. Despite that, meteorologists expect totals over four days to reach almost 4 feet for some sections of eastern Taiwan, which were the hardest hit. 

Due to the excessive rainfall, rivers burst their banks and severe flash flooding occurred in many villages. The heavy rain also sparked multiple landslides, leading to serious damage in more mountainous areas. In total, over 600,000 people lost power, and water supply was also cut off to around 5,000 homes.

Search-and-rescue efforts are already taking place, and officials are already working hard to fix the situation. Utilities have already been restored to over two-thirds of all customers who lost power and more than half of homes who lost access to clean water.

Kong-rey is the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan in decades, and these storms will only increase in frequency and strength as climate change worsens. While Taiwan is frequently hit by typhoons due to its location, the season for tropical systems is getting longer– Taiwan’s typhoon season usually falls between July and September, but Kong-rey is the third typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in just the month of October, one of which was the devastating Typhoon Krathon that killed four people earlier in the month.

Over the next few days, Kong-rey will brush eastern China, primarily impacting the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang before it heads into the East China Sea. Due to the storm’s massive size, it is dumping rain across numerous cities along China’s eastern coast, including Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Wenzhou, Huangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai. From there, it is expected to restrengthen in the East China Sea before hitting southern Japan, where it will make a brief landfall and eventually fizzle out in the Pacific.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): 12 or more cows are called a flink.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I never lose. Either I win or learn. (Nelson Mandela)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Hallowed (adj)- Hallowed describes something, such as a memorial, considered holy or blessed, or something that is highly respected and revered.

In a Sentence: The church stands on hallowed ground.