Typhoon Podul lashes southern Taiwan, halts transportation

Typhoon Podul lashed southern Taiwan on Wednesday after making landfall in Taitung County in the island's southeast, bringing powerful winds and heavy rainfall that disrupted daily life and paralyzed transportation services, Focus Taiwan reported.

The storm halted rail and ferry operations across much of the region, also prompting the government to evacuate more than 5,500 residents.

Nearly 250 international flights scheduled to arrive or depart were canceled ahead of the typhoon's approach.

According to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA), the typhoon made landfall around 1 pm (0500GMT), moving west-northwest at approximately 29 kilometers per hour (18 mph). Podul is packing maximum sustained winds of 155 km/h (96 mph), with gusts reaching up to 191 km/h (119 mph).

CWA forecaster Liu Yu-chi said the storm's radius had already engulfed the counties of Taitung, Hualien, and Nantou, warning that conditions would worsen in Taitung, Hualien, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung, with wind and rain expected to intensify on Thursday.

As Typhoon Podul continues its trajectory toward southern China, flood control authorities in Guangdong and Fujian provinces have raised their alert levels, according to the Global Times.