Strongest typhoon of the year hits Taiwan

...we witnessed the full fury of the Pacific Ocean raging ashore with phenomenal waves.

Video I shot of massive storm surge waves smashing into eastern Taiwan.

Jangmi, meaning "rose" in Korean, made landfall Sunday packing gusts of up to 191 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, the Central Weather Bureau said.

Typhoon leaves two dead, closes markets in Taiwan

TAIPEI (AFP) — Typhoon Jangmi lashed Taiwan with heavy rain and strong winds Monday as it moved offshore, leaving two dead and forcing the closure of schools, offices and financial markets, officials said.

A further 58 people were reported to have been injured by Jangmi, which was downgraded to a tropical storm, as it was forecast to churn towards Japan.

Authorities in China ordered hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate from the country's southeast coast, despite the storm losing momentum as it approached the area.

A YACHT with four US citizens aboard went missing today in waters south of the East China Sea as Typhoon Jangmi pounded the area, the Japanese coast guard said.

updated 2008/09/29 14:41

Subject: Typhoon Effects to Weaken By Nightfall
The CWB says by nightfall we can expect that most of Taiwan will be out of the influence of battering winds by Jangmi ... now a tropical storm ... but the rains might not let up so soon.

The CWB says coupled with the effect of a northeast monsoon, the storm is expected to continue to pelt much of Taiwan, and central and southern regions in particular, with extremely torrential rain in the next two days.

Typhoon Jangmi, with a radius of 280 km, weakened from a strong typhoon to a medium one after making landfall on northeastern Taiwan yesterday ... and this morning was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Weather officials say before the rain stops ... accumulation is expected to exceed 1.2 meters in Yilan ... and top one meter in other parts of the north and east of the island.

Residents in mountainous areas around the island are being told to be extra watchfull for landslides and mudslides.

Officials say mountain areas are now extremely vulnerable due to the fact that the soil in eastern, northern and central Taiwan is saturated with water in the wake of two typhoons -- Sinlaku and Hagupit -- that hit Taiwan in the last three weeks.

FUZHOU/HANGZHOU -- Typhoon Jangmi is weakening and likely to bring east China's coastal area strong winds and downpours after it shaved the eastern Fujian Province early on Monday, local meteorological bureau said.

Jangmi, meaning "rose" in Korean, made landfall in northeastern Ilan county around 0740 GMT, the Central Weather Bureau said.

The bureau said the typhoon was expected to dump up to 1,400 millimetres (56 inches) of rain on the island.

Local authorities moved more than 1,000 residents after the Council of Agriculture issued a warning for 247 areas likely to be threatened by mud- and rock-slides, officials said...

...The government ordered local transport units to stand by to prepare to close 13 bridges with possibility of collapsing in the face of rushing waters.

Two eastern provinces Fujian and Zhejiang have relocated more than 330,000 people as Jangmi is forecast to slam into Fujian late Monday afternoon or evening.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters launched a level-two emergency response plan on Sunday and dispatched working groups to Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces to step up anti-typhoon efforts.

We missed the worst of the winds since we were unable to move north due to landslides on the perilous Hualien - Suao highway. However we witnessed the full fury of Pacific Ocean raging ashore with phenomenal waves.

Typhoon update 7 PM

Work and school has been suspended tomorrow in the following places: Keelung City, Taipei City & County, Taoyuan County, Xinzhu City and County, Taichung City and County as well as the cities and counties of Miaoli, Yunlin, Chiayi, Nantou and Kinmen. In eastern Taidong County...school is suspended but work will continue as usual. The Taipei stock market will also be closed tomorrow.

This year's most powerful typhoon...Jangmi...made landfall at 3:40 PM near the fishing town of Suao in Hualien county. The storm will batter the north of Taiwan all through this evening, before it's expected to slowly exit the island near DanShui and head towards the Chinese mainland.

Authorities are asking all residents of Taiwan to remain indoors and vigilant for possible flooding and rock slides.

Typhoon Jangmi is packing wind speeds of over 170 km per hour with gusts up to 209.

A rock slide in the mountains of Taipei's NanGang district is blocking access for residents while in Taipei County's Shijhr, fallen construction scaffolding has crushed several parked cars.

Transportation across Taiwan has been disrupted. The Taoyuan International Airport is now officially closed. Taipei's MRT system has also been affected...with the Muzha --- or brown -- line suspending operation as of 5 PM...the rest of the system is still running, albeit at slower intervals.

In hard hit Yilan and Hualien Counties, a section of provincial road # 7 has been washed away...making the road impassable. As rock slides are blocking the way, authorities are asking people to refrain from driving anywhere along the east coast highway linking Suao and Hualien.

Several hours ago, a bus traveling along the #5 freeway near the city of Yilan was flipped on its side due to strong winds...two passengers on the bus were seriously injured.

The rest of Taiwan's cities and counties are expected to make decisions on work and school within the next hour or so. ICRT will bring you that information as soon as we receive it.

Typhoon update 5 PM
Close to 30,000 households are without power as the strongest typhoon of the year bears down on northern Taiwan.

Typhoon Jangmi is packing wind speeds of over 180 km per hour with gusts up to 227.

The storm's strength is now being felt in downtown Taipei city...motorcyclists are unable to ride and trees and signs are flying around the streets. A rock slide in the mountains of Taipei's NanGang district is blocking access for residents.

Jangmi made landfall at just before 4 PM near the fishing town of Suao in Hualien county.

Waves currently lashing the Yilan coast are over 4 stories high. Several reports are coming in of people being swept away by high water...including a motorcyclist in Nantou county who has disappeared after a road running along a river caved in. Rescuers are trying to locate the person, but the weather conditions are making rescues practically impossible.

Transportation across Taiwan has been disrupted. Authorities are asking people to refrain from driving along the Suao-Hualien coastal highway. A bus traveling along the #5 freeway near the city of Yilan has been flipped on its side due to strong winds...50 passengers on the bus were slightly injured. All trains on the High Speed rail have been suspended as of 3 PM. Taipei's MRT system is still running. Pizza delivery in Taipei, however, has been suspended.

At least 13 bridges across the island -- mostly in mountainous or rural areas -- have been deemed unsafe for use during the storm and local authorities have closed off most of them.

CWB forecasters warn that in the next 24 hours, mountainous areas could receive up to 1000 millimeters of rain, possibly triggering flash floods and landslides. Authorities are asking citizens to stay away from mountainous areas.

Taiwan's cities and counties will make decisions as to whether to suspend work and school for tomorrow within the next hour or so.