3 Dead, Over 100 Injured After Typhoon Nepartak Clobbers Taiwan; Thousands Evacuated in China

Ada Carr
Published: July 9,2016

After leaving three people dead and more than 100 injured in Taiwan, Typhoon Nepartak spun across the Taiwan Strait into China. The storm lashed China's east coast with powerful winds and heavy rains Saturday, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people.
Nepartak came ashore in southeastern Taiwan as the equivalent of a Category 4 just after 6:30 a.m. local time Friday morning, but downgraded several levels as it moved toward China.
"As anticipated, Taiwan's mountainous terrain weakened Nepartak considerably," said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman. "However, regardless of its intensity, heavy rainfall will continue to be a concern in Taiwan and southeast China, likely triggering areas of flooding into the weekend."
(MORE: Check the Forecast for Nepartak)
In China, authorities evacuated more than 422,000 people from risky areas and suspended or canceled several hundred flights and bullet train services due to the storm, officials at Fujian's water resources department told the Associated Press. The heavy rains also toppled houses and inundated roads.
In Gutian County, China, 18 workers in an iron factory were trapped by a landslide Saturday, according to the South China Morning Post. More than 50 armed police and 20 firefighters arrived on the scene and rescued the workers.
Firefighters rescued 43 people after floodwaters submerged two buildings in a residential area, the Morning Post also reports. Part of a flyover connecting a highway in Minqing County collapsed, causing at least one truck to fall into the Xikou River.
A Taiwanese soldier was found dead Friday morning after falling into the ocean off Dongyin Island in the Taiwan Strait Thursday, according to Taiwan's Central Emergency Operation Center. Another fatality occurred when a man drowned off a beach in Hualien County Thursday. A 71-year-old woman died from severe wounds after being hit by a falling piece of furniture, Focus Taiwan reports.
The massive storm came ashore about 10 miles south of Taitung City, packing winds around 150 mph, damaging structures and dumping torrential rainfall on parts of the island nation.
"The streets already look like a bomb has gone off, and this is just the start of it ... crazy power," professional stunt rider Dave McKenna, who is currently in Taiwan, said on his Instagram account as the storm rolled in. "I've been in some back home in Australia but nothing like this."
Storm trackers rode out the western half of the typhoon as it arrived in Taiwan during the overnight hours and into Friday morning, and reported damage to buildings and numerous trees downed by the massive storm.
(MORE: Wind Data Was Off the Charts Well Before Landfall)

"I'm hiding in a stairwell, so I'm OK, but it's a different story out there," said storm tracker James Reynolds during a Periscope broadcast Friday morning. He took shelter in a shop just minutes before damaging winds blew out the doors in the entry to the building, nearly sucking the store owner out into the storm.
Taiwanese authorities reported that more than 15,400 people were evacuated from 14 counties and cities.
About 520,000 households were affected by power cuts, predominately in Pingtung and Taitung counties, according to TaiPower.
Taiwan's Central Emergency Operations Center spokesman Li Wei-sen told AP that more than 500 domestic and international flights have been canceled and others were delayed.
(MORE: Birth and Track of a Monster Storm)
Defense minister Feng Shih-kuan told the China Post that the government deployed 3,000 troops into areas susceptible to flooding across the country ahead of the storm to help with flood-control measures. A total of 35,800 troops were deployed countrywide to help with relief efforts, according to Taiwan News.

Taiwan's eastern coast isn't as heavily populated as other regions of the country, but the jagged terrain raises the threat of mudslides and flooding any time a large tropical system hits the area.
The name "Nepartak" comes from that of a Micronesian warrior.