Typhoon Gaemi live tracker: One dead in Taiwan as storm intensifies into super typhoon

China Railway Nanchang Group has suspended all passenger train services in Fujian province tomorrow in preparation for the arrival of Typhoon Kemi, Chinese state media reported. Earlier, railway authorities in Shenzhen suspended services for 260 trains on Thursday. Typhoon Kemi is due to make landfall in Taiwan today before heading towards China’s Fujian province, which has already been hard hit by weeks of heavy rains and deadly flooding.

China’s National Meteorological Center issued the highest level of red alert for Typhoon Gaemi, according to Xinhua.

A red alert is the highest level of warning in China’s colour-coded warning system and typically means extreme weather is imminent or occurring, calling for immediate action to ensure safety.

The warning means residents in the affected areas should prepare for strong winds, heavy rain and possible flooding.

The powerful storm, now classified as a super typhoon, is expected to bring severe weather conditions as it approaches Taiwan’s northern coast and China’s Fujian province.

Super Typhoon Gaemi is approaching Taiwan with 10-minute sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) and maximum winds of 230 kph, and is already bringing heavy rain to the island.

As of 6pm local time (11am BST), the storm’s outer ring had almost reached the island, according to an update from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

The storm was forecast to make landfall by 2am local time on Thursday (7pm BST on Wednesday), but the sheer size of the storm means its outer rim will fully cover Taiwan hours before then.

Typhoon Hagibis approached Taiwan and strengthened into a super typhoon before making landfall. But what exactly is a super typhoon, and why is it such a concern?

A super typhoon is an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that originates in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is characterized by sustained wind speeds of at least 150 miles per hour (241 kilometers per hour). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) uses this classification to place super typhoons on par with the most powerful hurricanes in the Atlantic and northeast Pacific Ocean, specifically categories 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Historically, superstorms have caused widespread destruction, such as Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013 and Typhoon Meranti in 2016. Haiyan affected more than 14 million people and pushed 2.3 million into poverty.

Typhoon Meranti, which struck the Philippines, Taiwan and mainland China, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones on record, causing more than $2.6 billion in damages and killing more than 30 people.

Typhoon Gaemi is heading toward Taiwan and is expected to make landfall within the next few hours, having strengthened into a super typhoon, according to the Philippine Weather Agency.

“Karina has strengthened into a super typhoon and is on its way to make landfall in northern Taiwan,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) wrote to X, using the storm’s Philippine name.

The storm’s winds have already hit Taiwan, while heavy rain and strong winds have caused floods and landslides in the Philippines, leaving at least 13 people dead and causing devastating damage.

As rains from Typhoon Gaemi continue to batter the Philippine archipelago, rescue teams in the Philippines are responding to hundreds of pleas from residents trapped in floodwaters and the coast guard is “overwhelmed.”

In Marikina City, on the eastern edge of the Manila region, heavy rains caused major rivers to overflow, forcing many residents to evacuate to safer areas.

According to the Associated Press, strong currents swept away steel shipping containers, refrigerators, pieces of household furniture and tree trunks.

Some residents called radio stations as the floodwaters rose, pleading with authorities to rescue them from the roofs and upper floors of their low-rise homes.

Mayor Janie Sandoval of Malabon, a flood-prone city north of the national capital, assured one anxious mother that rescue boats and trucks were on the move throughout the day to help trapped residents like her.

“Please stay calm, we are doing everything we can, the local government will not abandon you,” Sandoval told DZRH radio station.

Rear Adm. Armando Barilo said the Philippine Coast Guard, for which he serves as spokesman, was being inundated with pleas for rescue from residents of the capital trapped by floodwaters, including some who had been waiting on their roofs for help.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered authorities to speed up efforts to get food and other aid to isolated rural areas.

“Residents may not have had food for days,” Marcos said in a televised emergency meeting.

The Philippine Coast Guard said more than 350 passengers and cargo truck drivers and workers were stranded at the port after ferries and cargo ships were banned from sailing into the rough seas.

It also reported that coastal villages in Batangas province, south of Manila, were hit by storm waves that pounded coastal homes, and that coast guard personnel were helping evacuate more than 200 residents.

Strong winds from Typhoon Gaemi are causing damage across Taiwan.

Officials warned everyone to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. One person was killed and more than 50 were injured when a tree fell.

“It’s now too dangerous to be on the roads,” tropical storm interceptor James Reynolds wrote to X.

Taiwan has been forced to scale back its annual military drills in preparation for Typhoon Gami.

The island is hosting the Han Guang military exercises, which involve army, air force and navy, simulating real combat, from Monday to Friday.

Air force exercises scheduled for Tuesday off the east coast were cancelled, but naval and army drills in and around other parts of the self-governing island are set to continue.

Strong winds and heavy rain battered the island nation on Wednesday, forcing schools, offices and financial markets to close and leaving Taipei’s streets deserted.

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The government said more than 4,000 people had been evacuated from the sparsely populated mountain area.

Evacuations were carried out in three northern provinces, particularly Hualien, a mountainous area at high risk of landslides.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it had 29,000 soldiers on standby for disaster relief efforts.