Typhoon Champi: Over 146,000 Households without Electricity in Taiwan

By Staff, Agencies

More than 146,000 households across Taiwan experienced power outages as Typhoon Champi brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to the island, local media reported Saturday.

According to Focus Taiwan, electricity had been restored to more than 122,000 households by Friday night. Repair crews began work early Saturday in parts of New Taipei and northern Keelung, where strong wind gusts were recorded overnight.

Authorities also dispatched 15 work teams from five regional offices in central and southern Taiwan to assist with electricity restoration efforts in the north.

The typhoon has caused further disruption, with at least one person killed and dozens injured on Friday as severe weather affected air traffic. Authorities ordered schools and offices to close across most of Taiwan, with exceptions for Taitung County and the outlying islands of Penghu and Matsu.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said Champi was located over waters east of Yilan and was expected to weaken into a mild typhoon by Saturday afternoon. The agency also anticipated lifting land and sea typhoon warnings by Saturday evening.

Rainfall shifted westward on Saturday after primarily affecting northern and eastern Taiwan the previous day. Heavy rain was recorded in mountainous areas south of Hsinchu early Saturday, while localized torrential rainfall affected mountainous parts of Miaoli.

Although rainfall was expected to gradually ease during the afternoon, localized heavy showers remained possible in areas north of Taichung.

The weather agency warned that sea conditions around Taiwan remained hazardous despite the typhoon’s weakening. Waves were expected to reach 2 to 3 meters [6.6 to 9.8 feet], while waves exceeding 6 meters [19.7 feet] remained possible in northern and northeastern waters on Saturday.