Climate and Natural Disasters

Typhoon Champi Leaves One Dead, Hundreds Injured Across Taiwan

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By Justin Wu/Tiffany Wong

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Typhoon Champi left a trail of damage across Taiwan, toppling a 250-ton crane, knocking down power lines, and uprooting trees as strong winds and heavy rain swept through the island. As of Saturday, one person had died and more than 500 were injured, while over 277,000 households experienced power outages. Northern Taiwan announced a second day of work closures as authorities responded to more than 6,000 damage reports. Green Island and Orchid Island were among the hardest-hit areas. Forecasters say the storm is weakening, but officials continue monitoring conditions as recovery efforts begin.

Powerful waves topple a 250-ton crane at this port in eastern Taiwan on Friday... before Typhoon Champi rages into the weekend.

Overnight, gusts of over 100 kilometers per hour knocked down power lines and traffic lights ...and even uprooted trees.

As of Saturday, one person had died and over 500 were injured. Officials are still working to restore service to some of the over 277,000 households that lost power. Emergency officials were also monitoring over 6,000 reports -- mostly of felled trees and store signs.

The northern half of Taiwan announced a second day of work closures as heavy rain and wind continued. Weather forecasters say they expect the storm to weaken... but urge people to stay indoors if possible.

WU WAN-HUA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, WEATHER FORECAST CENTER CENTRAL WEATHER ADMINISTRATION:

"Since this morning, the typhoon has moved [away] and weakened. Many areas are not in the storm's circle. Currently, sea warnings cover the waters to the north and northeast while land warnings are in effect for Yilan and areas north of Taoyuan. As the typhoon continues to weaken and move away the sea conditions around Taiwan especially the wind and waves should not be as intense as they were over the past two days."

The typhoon hit some of Taiwan's outlying islands particularly hard. Several homes on Green Island flooded after being hit by surging waves.

TIEN I-SHENG, GREEN ISLAND CITIZEN REPRESENTATIVE:

"Government agencies need to take this seriously."

HSIEH HSIEN-YU, GREEN ISLAND TOWNSHIP HEAD:

"The coastline is very beautiful but people's safety, lives and property are more important than this scenic view."

On Orchid Island, strong winds knocked down a power line on Friday, sparking a fire.

For some areas, the worst of the storm has already passed...In Hualien, on Taiwan's east coast, residents are trying to clean up the damage on their own... and, are asking for more help.

LI HSIN-SHUN, MINQIN VILLAGE CHIEF:

"Our clean-up team is short-staffed. Can we ask the military for assistance?"

As the typhoon passes by Taiwan, officials will continue monitoring any major damage... as they start to turn their efforts towards rebuilding and recovery.