Taipei:Tropical Storm Champi has resulted in one fatality and 616 injuries as it made its way out of Taiwan on Saturday afternoon. The storm, which initially affected the region as a typhoon on Thursday, caused infrastructure damage and power outages before heading towards southern Japan.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) lifted its land warning at 230 p.m. on Saturday and planned to lift its sea warning by 830 p.m. The Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) confirmed that a man was swept away by storm-driven waves in Liuqiu Township, Pingtung County, marking the storm’s lone fatality. Most of the injuries reported were minor.
The storm caused 9,027 damage reports, with 3,287 involving fallen trees, primarily in Taipei and Taichung. Damage to essential infrastructure was recorded in 3,033 instances, and 1,014 involved billboards and signs. Power outages affected over 340,000 households, with 22,000 still without electricity as of Saturday evening.
Taiwan experienced significant rainfall, with Yilan County recording the highest at 650 mm. Areas like Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, and Taipei also received substantial precipitation. Evacuations were executed as a precaution against landslides, affecting multiple cities and counties.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Champi was positioned about 320 kilometers northeast of Taipei, moving at a speed of 14-21 kph with winds peaking at 101 kph. The storm's outer circulation was expected to bring intermittent rain to northern regions, but conditions were forecasted to improve by Sunday.
Danjiang Bridge in New Taipei, previously closed for safety, was reopened by 5 p.m. Saturday.