Taiwan has ground to a halt as Typhoon Kong-rey, the biggest storm to hit the island in nearly three decades, makes its violent presence felt. Schools are closed, financial markets shut down, and 300 international flights are cancelled. Yet here’s what really captures attention: the sheer destruction. With winds topping 250 kph (155 mph) and torrential rains, Kong-rey has knocked out power for nearly half a million households and left a wake of flooded streets, closed railways, and one reported death.
As the storm blasted Taiwan’s east coast, most of the island was hit by relentless rain and wind. The mountainous Taitung County took the brunt, with locals describing the night as a “sleepless nightmare,” worried that their homes wouldn’t withstand the pounding gusts and rain. Gusts exceeding 260 kph (162 mph) even took down weather equipment on Lanyu Island, where officials worked to restore power to over a thousand homes.
Environmental teams are scrambling to prevent an oil spill from a Chinese cargo ship stranded on Taiwan’s northern coast—a crisis within a crisis. Meanwhile, President Lai Ching-te has pleaded with residents to stay indoors and avoid the waves, a statement that sounds almost hopeful in the face of a storm this powerful.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a tech giant, calmly assured that its facilities were ready for Kong-rey. “We do not expect significant impact to our operations,” they said, as if a typhoon is just another day at the office.
With warnings of 160 kph (100 mph) winds, 36,000 troops are on standby for rescue missions, and 10,000 people have already been evacuated. Parts of eastern Taiwan have seen over a meter of rain. It’s almost as if the typhoon decided to test the island’s resilience one more time.
China is next in line, with Kong-rey expected to graze its coastline near Fujian province, and Shanghai is bracing for its worst rainfall in decades. While Taiwan is no stranger to typhoons, Kong-rey seems determined to be remembered, leaving destruction in its path and an island in recovery mode.
