Taiwan Evacuates Hundreds as Typhoon Podul Approaches

 

Taiwanese authorities are evacuating hundreds of residents from the southeastern coast as Typhoon Podul approaches, expected to make landfall in the coming days. In Hualien County, nearly 700 people are being moved from homes at risk due to a natural dam created by a landslide from a previous typhoon. Officials have warned that the dam could overflow, posing serious flooding dangers downstream. The National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction urged residents to follow evacuation orders immediately.

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The Central Weather Administration has forecast up to 600 millimetres of rainfall in southern mountainous regions, raising fears of further landslides and flooding. Typhoon Podul is projected to sweep across Taiwan from the southeast to the densely populated western coast, before heading toward China’s Fujian province later this week. Coastal areas have been closed off, with beachgoers enjoying the final hours of calm before warnings for high seas take effect.

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Taiwan’s preparedness for Typhoon Podul comes as the island is still recovering from previous storms this year. Earlier in August, extreme rainfall in the south caused deadly landslides and flooding, killing at least four people. Some areas received more than a year’s worth of rain in just one week. In July, a rare typhoon struck Taiwan’s west coast directly, bringing record-breaking winds that damaged the electricity grid and destroyed homes.

Authorities are also evacuating people whose homes remain damaged from that July storm. Emergency teams are focusing on reinforcing flood defences, securing power infrastructure, and clearing potential landslide zones. The coast guard has cordoned off beaches and ports in advance of Podul’s arrival, while transport officials are monitoring the storm’s possible impact on flights and shipping.

Despite the risks, residents in the east remain largely unfazed. “Here in the east, we always have typhoons or earthquakes, so we are not really scared of those, but rather used to them,” said Yu How-ling, a visitor at a Suao beach. Officials, however, stress that this storm’s intensity demands serious precautions to avoid another wave of destruction.