Typhoon Champi Kills One and Injures at Least 350 in Taiwan

Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan's northeast on Friday, October 23, killing one person and injuring at least 350, according to Al Jazeera. A typhoon is the Pacific name for a large, rotating tropical storm. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration, the island's national weather agency, classified Champi as a moderate typhoon. The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center, which tracks storms in the region, reported its maximum winds at 185 km/h, and Champi was briefly a super typhoon with winds of nearly 300 km/h.

The storm brought heavy winds and rain. Taiwan's authorities warned of destructive winds and urged residents to stay indoors. More than 4,300 people were forced from their homes, and power was cut to thousands of households. Shops and schools closed, and more than 200 flights were cancelled. More than 400 millimetres of rain fell in Yilan County on Friday.

The weather agency said Champi could drop up to 900 millimetres of rain on Taiwan between Thursday and Saturday. The person who died was swept by waves on Thursday, according to Yahoo News.

Champi was forecast to hover near Japan's Okinawa islands, then move toward China's eastern coast before turning northeast toward mainland Japan. On Friday afternoon, about 8,400 households in Okinawa were without power due to the storm, according to the Okinawa Electric Power Company.