Taiwan is cleaning up and slowly reopening after Typhoon Krathon hit

KAOHSIUNG: Southern Taiwan worked on Friday (Oct 4) to recover from damage caused by flooding and high winds after Typhoon Krathon hit a major metropolis, while much of the rest of the island resumed work and financial markets reopened.

Krathon, now downgraded to a tropical depression, made landfall in the main port city of Kaohsiung, flooding streets, shattering windows in some buildings and sending debris into the air as record winds hit.

While the rest of Taiwan resumed work on Friday, governments in Kaohsiung and neighboring Pingtung County announced another public holiday to remove fallen trees, pump out floodwaters and clear debris from roads.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai wrote on his Facebook page that some parts of the city received more rain than the last storm, Typhoon Gaemi, in July.

“Given the long duration of the storm, combined with strong winds and heavy rainfall, city authorities are making every effort to repair the damage,” he wrote.

Tsai Ming-an, a 51-year-old engineer, was cleaning his house after a flood about 20 cm deep covered the entire ground floor of his house.

“I’ve never seen wind like this. It was so bad,” Tsai said.