Typhoon Gaemi 2024 live: Taiwan braces for intensifying storm as flights cancelled, offices and schools shut down

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Taiwan is bracing for Typhoon Gaemi today with financial markets closed, flights cancelled and offices shut for the day.

Gaemi, the first typhoon of the season, will make landfall on Taiwan’s northeast coast by early evening on Wednesday and move towards China’s Fujian province by Friday.

The military has 29,000 soldiers on standby as heavy rain and strong winds are forecast.

Schools and work were suspended across Taiwan, and Taipei’s usually busy streets were empty.

“Tomorrow, please stay at home,” Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an wrote on his Facebook page yesterday. “Gaemi, the first typhoon to make landfall this year, continues to strengthen.”

In Yilan county, the typhoon’s first landfall point, strong winds and rain shut down breakfast shops and cleared roads.

“This could be the biggest typhoon in recent years,” fishing boat captain Hung Chun told Reuters, adding Yilan’s Suao harbour was packed with boats seeking shelter.

Almost all domestic flights and 201 international flights are cancelled. Rail operations will stop, but high-speed trains will still run.

Over 2,000 people were evacuated from mountain areas due to landslide risks from heavy rain.