A typhoon is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s main island as early as Wednesday night. Local officials are urging people to stay vigilant for intense rain and winds through Thursday.
Parts of Taiwan’s main island were already experiencing storm conditions early on Wednesday as Typhoon Gaemi approached.
Officials say that as of the afternoon, 58 people had been injured across Taiwan.
Local media reports say a woman in the southern city of Kaohsiung was transported to a hospital with no vital signs after a roadside tree fell on her while she was riding a motorcycle.
Local Taiwanese authorities can bar residents from going to work or school when there is a risk of disaster due to typhoons or other phenomena.
The measure was implemented in 21 out of Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties on Wednesday. The one exception was the remote island county of Kinmen.
Public offices and many businesses in Taipei were closed, leaving streets and train stations in the northern city unusually quiet even during the morning rush hour.
The typhoon is expected to hit Taiwan’s eastern coast, between the northeastern counties of Yilan and Hualien, on Wednesday night at the earliest.