Taiwan shuts schools in South, East as typhoon Doksuri moves toward China

Typhoon Doksuri brought strong winds and rain to Taiwan, where schools and offices in the south and east remain closed and is heading toward China, threatening further disruption to shipping and air travel.

At least three people have been killed by the massive storm, which caused chest-deep floods in the Philippines’ northern Cagayan province. The typhoon, with sustained winds up to 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 191 kph, was about 170 kilometers southwest of Taiwan’s southernmost point as of 7:15 a.m. local time.

Taiwan has closed offices and schools in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Hualien, Taitung, Penghu and Kinmen, though Taipei — which saw strong winds and rain overnight — remains open. In mainland China, Xiamen Airport will shut for 24 hours from 6 p.m. tonight, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways said, canceling its flights there for Thursday. Doksuri is expected to make landfall in Fujian and Guangdong coastal areas on Friday morning, China’s National Meteorological Center said.

China is maintaining the highest alert of its four-tier colour-coded system for severe weather, its weather center said. Hong Kong, which is calling it a “severe typhoon”, is maintaining its standby No. 1 signal, but sees a relatively low chance of strong winds in the city.

Fujian’s Xiamen city has ordered schools to suspend activities like summer camps and sport competitions, Xinhua reported Wednesday night. Zhangzhou, another city in Fujian province, will suspend work and classes from Thursday noon to Saturday noon, according to CCTV.

The typhoon caused at least two fatalities in the Philippines, with a woman hit by a falling tree and a 16-year-old boy crushed by landslide, AFP reported on Wednesday, citing local officials. CNN Philippines said the disaster risk reduction agency is verifying reports that five people died.

In Taiwan, Doksuri caused one death, the Central News Agency reported, citing the local disaster response center.

Cagayan’s experience with storms and flooding, and the evacuation of nearly 16,000 people, appears to have limited human casualties. Still, more than 180,000 people were affected by the storm in the Philippines, with electricity cut to dozens of towns. Much of the northern city of Baguio remains without power.

Similarly, Taiwan has extensive experience with typhoons, though it has been spared direct hits in recent years, and companies and the government took extensive steps ahead of the storm to minimize damage.