NASA sources published in science news showed that the typhoon gained strength, with winds of up to 121 mph before landfall in Taiwan. When Fanapi hit Taiwan at 8:40 a.m., it started wreaking havoc, causing severe flooding. One man told the visiting president, “We have suffered flooding every year over the past century. Please do something.”
Fanapi blew down trees and power lines, destroying buildings and crippling transportation throughout the country, The Taipei Times reported damage to provincial highways as well as the South Link—an important railway in the southern and eastern regions.
The Times reported the storm caused one death, 111 injuries, and billions of dollars in damage. Kaohsiung City authorities said the body of a 22-year-old woman was found. CNN reported two people drowned in a canal. About 8,000 soldiers helped to evacuate about 10,000 and set up medical treatment centers.
As the massive inundation recedes, the impacted areas will start to resume normal life. Water pumps help companies resume operation in the most severely hit areas in Kaohsiung County, which could take up to five days for some, according to Deputy Director-General Lien Ching-chang from the Industrial Development Bureau.
When Fanapi hit land in Guandong Province, China on Monday morning, NASA reported it weakened quickly to a tropical storm with maximum steady winds near 56 mph. The storm is expected to move westward, spreading heavy rains in the southern, eastern, and central regions of China.
China officials said 186,000 people were evacuated as a precaution . The Central Weather Bureau lifted alerts for Fanapi on Monday afternoon. Fanapi is expected to dissipate sometime on Tuesday, Sept. 21.
