**Warning of strong winds, torrential rains ahead of Super Typhoon Kong-rey in Taiwan**
Authorities in Taiwan are warning residents along the island’s east coast of the imminent arrival of Super Typhoon Kong-rey, which has rapidly intensified as it heads toward the island after hitting the Philippines.
Kong-rey, moving northwest across the Philippine Sea, reached super typhoon strength on Wednesday, according to the Joint Typhoon Monitoring Center (JTWC). With winds of 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour), it is equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic.
The powerful typhoon is forecast to make landfall early Thursday (Wednesday night Eastern Time) in Taitung, a sparsely populated county on Taiwan’s mountainous southeastern coast.
“As the typhoon continues to move northwest, almost the entire Taiwan region will be covered by the storm’s circle later tonight,” meteorologist Chu Mei-lin of the island’s meteorological agency said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
The Central Meteorological Administration (CWA) issued a sea warning Tuesday as the storm approached. By early Wednesday afternoon, the agency had issued land warnings for more than half of the island’s counties, which are expected to be hit by the storm’s outer bands.
Forecasts indicate that the powerful typhoon may weaken slightly before making a direct hit on the southeastern coast, but it is still expected to unleash heavy downpours, leading to flash flooding, storm surges and the risk of landslides.
“We urge everyone to prepare accordingly,” Chu warned.
Chu added that waves could reach up to eight meters high when the typhoon makes landfall. Heavy rains are also expected in Taiwan on Thursday, including Taipei.
Taiwan’s military has placed about 36,000 troops on alert to assist with rescue and relief operations, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
More than 6,000 first responders are also on standby to help in response to the typhoon, according to the Central Emergency Operations Center. Most flights and ferries across Taiwan are operating normally so far, the center said Wednesday.
Taiwan generally has a strong track record of responding to major typhoons, though remote villages in mountainous areas can be particularly vulnerable to landslides. Earlier this month, Typhoon Krathon killed four people when it brought particularly heavy rain to the southern part of the island.
Two remote islands in Taiwan, Green Island and Orchid Island, suspended activities and classes on Wednesday, according to the county government..
In recent days, the northern part of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon has been battered by the outer bands of Kong-rey, known locally as Leon, as authorities ordered evacuations and warned of its effects after suffering damage last week from Tropical Storm Trami, known locally as Kristine, which killed at least 130 people.
As of Wednesday morning, Kong-rey continued to track the northern part of the island as it headed toward Taiwan.
This article has been updated with the latest developments.
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