Typhoon Meranti hit Chinese Taipei

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2016-09-14
Chinese Taipei
Storm
Hundreds of people have been evacuated in southern Chinese Taipei and China has issued a red alert as the region braces for the impact of the strongest storm of the year.
Super Typhoon Meranti is barreling down on Chinese Taipei, bringing wind speeds of up to 230 miles per hour (370 kph), faster than a Formula One race car, and torrential rains.
Schools and offices across the south of the island have closed and dozens of flights have been canceled, according to the official China News Agency.
Two people have been injured, and more than 260,000 households have lost power in counties across southern Chinese Taipei, according to Chinese Taipei authorities.
More than 370 domestic and international flights have been canceled and train services have also been suspended.
As of 7 a.m. local time Wednesday morning, around 1,500 people had been evacuated from the affected areas, Li Wei-sen, of the Chinese Taipei Central Emergency Operating Center, told CNN.
Almost 4,000 military and police personnel have been deployed to the region to prepare for potential future evacuations, but he said authorities are not expecting major damage or destruction.
China braces for impact
While the 23 million people in Taiwan are likely to be buffeted and soaked by Meranti, the main brunt of the storm will fall on mainland China.

Source:
CNN. James Griffiths and Brandon Miller. September 14, 2016. Meranti: Strongest super typhoon of the year barrels toward China, Chinese Taipei. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/12/asia/typhoon-meranti-weather/