Taiwanese authorities issued urgent safety warnings on Thursday ahead of Typhoon Champi’s landfall.
Following an emergency briefing, Premier Cho Jung-Tai urged the public to avoid all high-risk zones.
“After it makes landfall, it will envelop the entire Taiwan. It will slowly leave Taiwan on the 24th and the 25th,” Central Weather Administration (CWA) head Lu Kuo-chen said at a news conference, adding that winds would be strongest from Friday through Saturday.
National Fire Agency Chief Secretary Cheng Chih Chiang had asked the local governing body of the eastern coast of Taiwan to evacuate residents living downstream from the Wanli Creek landslide dam in Hualien.
The dam was holding five million metric tons of water as of Thursday morning, according to Premier Cho, and there is the risk it could breach in the storm.
Cheng urged the public to stay away from mountainous areas, creeks and beaches even after Champi leaves Taiwan.
