Overview

• Podul has strengthened with gusts reaching 191 kph and is expected to hit near Taitung around midday local time
• Authorities have evacuated over 5,500 residents, including nearly 700 downstream of a landslide-formed dam in Hualien
• Schools and offices across southern and eastern counties have been suspended and more than 120 international routes halted
• Forecasters warn up to 600 mm of rain in southern mountains, heightening flood and landslide risks on terrain weakened by prior storms
• After crossing Taiwan’s central spine, Podul is projected to weaken before re-emerging in the Taiwan Strait and heading toward Fujian province