One dead, 500 hurt as Champi batters Taiwan, then turns towards Shanghai

Emergency services have been working to restore power to thousands of households in Taiwan following severe disruptions caused by Typhoon Champi.

The typhoon, which previously reached super typhoon status, has caused one fatality and over 500 injuries, prompting evacuations and business closures.

Additionally, authorities in China are on high alert as Champi approaches, while flights have been canceled and heavy rainfall predicted in parts of China and Japan.

The storm is intensified by El Nino, a climate phenomenon associated with significant shifts in global weather patterns.

TAIPEI, Oct 24 — Emergency crews scrambled on Saturday to restore power to tens of thousands of households in Taiwan after Typhoon Champi’s fierce winds battered the island as the storm moves towards China and Japan.

More than 5,000 people were evacuated from their homes ahead of the storm, which toppled trees, brought down power lines, and triggered brief flooding.

One person was killed and over 500 injured since Thursday when the government began issuing warnings about the approaching typhoon.

Around 56,000 households are still without power as Champi continues to buffet the island, with nearly 24 centimetres (9.4 inches) of rain recorded in the western county of Miaoli on Saturday.

Most shops across northern and central Taiwan were closed for a second day as the typhoon gradually moves away from the island’s northeast and heads north towards China and Japan.

“Although the period of the typhoon’s most severe impact has passed, we would like to remind everyone that winds and waves in the waters around Taiwan remain strong as the typhoon moves northwards,” the Central Weather Administration’s Wuu Woan-hwa said at a briefing.

Champi is the latest in a busy Pacific storm season turbocharged by the El Nino weather phenomenon that has caused unprecedented warming in the equatorial Pacific.

The storm was briefly a super typhoon as it crossed the ocean in recent days, with reported maximum sustained wind speeds of nearly 300 kilometres (186 miles) per hour.

It was packing wind speeds of 176 kph on Saturday, according to the latest update from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The storm’s intensity weakened overnight as it made a loop off Taiwan’s northeastern county of Yilan, where it dumped 65 cm of rain since Thursday, the forecaster said.

Martha Wang said she was afraid of being “blown away” by the wind as she rode her scooter across a bridge in New Taipei City on Saturday morning.

“I was really scared because I was on the bridge. My scooter was shaking,” the 55-year-old secretary told AFP.

William Yu, however, was unfazed by the storm, saying it “wasn’t any stronger than other typhoons.”

“I went to the convenience store to eat yesterday (evening) and everything was fine,” the 55-year-old librarian said.

‘Strong winds and heavy rain’

Authorities in China warned of “strong winds and heavy rain” as Champi approaches the country’s east coast, the state-controlled broadcaster said.

Some train services have been suspended and tens of thousands evacuated from their homes in Shanghai.

“Some areas of Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and other regions are expected to experience heavy to torrential rainfall,” it said.

Dozens of flights have been cancelled in the region, including in Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa where the government said two people were injured in the typhoon.

The United Nations said Wednesday that the El Nino system gripping the planet is heading off the charts and that countries should take urgent action to prepare for the worst.

El Nino is expected to peak in December, but the human impact is set to last into 2027 and beyond.

The warming phase of a natural climate cycle, El Nino temporarily raises sea temperatures in the tropical Pacific, triggering changes in weather that can increase the risk of drought and flooding and exacerbate human-caused global warming. — AFP

US spy chief says Iran is stepping up plots targeting Americans, Trump hints at ‘another little Epic Fury’

‘The officials are morons’: Haze that reached Malaysia now has Indonesian students protesting in central Kalimantan

Pentagon puts China-funded Confucius Institutes on US security threat list

King and Queen offer prayers for late Terengganu prince Tengku Baderul Zaman

PM extends condolences to Terengganu Sultan over brother’s death

BN rejects Perikatan request for additional seats in Melaka election

台风“占比”造成台湾严重停电后，紧急救援部门正在努力恢复数千户家庭的电力供应。

这场台风此前曾达到超级台风级别，目前已造成一人死亡，500多人受伤，并引发了人员疏散和企业停业。

此外，随着昌比台风逼近，中国当局已进入高度戒备状态，中国和日本部分地区航班已被取消，预计将有强降雨。

厄尔尼诺现象加剧了这场风暴，厄尔尼诺现象是一种与全球天气模式显著变化相关的气候现象。

台北，10月24日——台风“詹比”的狂风肆虐台湾后，紧急救援人员周六争分夺秒地恢复数万户家庭的电力供应，目前该风暴正向中国和日本移动。

风暴来临前，超过 5000 人被疏散出家园。风暴刮倒树木，扯断电线，并引发短暂的洪水。

自周四政府开始发布台风预警以来，已有1人死亡，500多人受伤。

台风“占比”持续袭击该岛，目前仍有约 56,000 户家庭断电。周六，西部苗栗县录得近 24 厘米（9.4 英寸）的降雨量。

由于台风逐渐远离台湾东北部，向北逼近中国大陆和日本，台湾北部和中部的大部分商店连续第二天关门歇业。

“虽然台风最严重的影响期已经过去，但我们仍要提醒大家，随着台风北移，台湾附近海域的风浪依然强劲。”中央气象局吴婉华在新闻发布会上说。

昌皮是太平洋繁忙风暴季中的最新一起风暴，而厄尔尼诺现象加剧了这一风暴季，导致赤道太平洋地区前所未有的变暖。

近日，这场风暴在横扫海洋时曾短暂达到超级台风的强度，据报道最大持续风速接近每小时 300 公里（186 英里）。

根据联合台风警报中心的最新消息，该台风周六的风速达到每小时176公里。

气象预报员称，这场风暴一夜之间减弱，并在台湾东北部的宜兰县附近形成了一个环流，自周四以来，宜兰县已降雨 65 厘米。

玛莎·王（Martha Wang）说，周六早上，她骑着摩托车过新北市的一座桥时，害怕被风“吹走”。

“我当时真的很害怕，因为我在桥上。我的摩托车在摇晃，”这位55岁的秘书告诉法新社。

然而，威廉·于却并未被这场风暴吓倒，他说这场风暴“并不比其他台风更强”。

“我昨天（晚上）去便利店买吃的，一切都很顺利，”这位55岁的图书管理员说。

“强风暴雨”

据官方媒体报道，中国当局警告称，随着台风“占比”逼近中国东海岸，将出现“强风暴雨”。

上海部分列车服务暂停，数万居民撤离家园。

“江苏、上海、浙江等地部分地区预计将出现大到暴雨，”声明称。

该地区数十个航班被取消，其中包括日本最南端的冲绳县，日本政府称冲绳县有两人在台风中受伤。

联合国周三表示，席卷全球的厄尔尼诺现象正愈演愈烈，各国应采取紧急行动，为最坏的情况做好准备。

厄尔尼诺现象预计将在 12 月达到高峰，但其对人类的影响将持续到 2027 年及以后。

厄尔尼诺现象是自然气候周期中的变暖阶段，它会暂时升高热带太平洋的海水温度，引发气候变化，从而增加干旱和洪涝灾害的风险，并加剧人为造成的全球变暖。——法新社

美国情报局长称伊朗正在加紧策划针对美国人的袭击，特朗普暗示将有“另一场小规模的史诗级暴怒”

“官员们都是白痴”：笼罩马来西亚的雾霾引发印尼学生在加里曼丹中部举行抗议活动

五角大楼将中国资助的孔子学院列入美国安全威胁名单

国王和王后为已故登嘉楼王子东姑巴德鲁扎曼祈祷

总理就登嘉楼苏丹兄弟去世一事向苏丹表示慰问。

国阵拒绝国盟在马六甲选举增加议席的要求