Typhoon Megi smashes Taiwan
Destructive storm packs wallop of Category 4 hurricane
Storm had winds of 132 mph at landfall
At least four people were killed and more than 250 were injured in Taiwan as Typhoon Megi slammed into the island nation Tuesday.
The storm had winds of 132 mph at landfall, the Joint Ty- phoon Warning Center said, making it the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.
Many people were injured by wind-blown objects, according to the Associated Press. Several tourists were hurt after a tour bus overturned.
Nearly 3 million people were without power Tuesday night, the AP said.
About 1,400 people were evacuated from the country’s mountainous areas.
An additional 2,900 were in shelters across the nation, CNN reported.
Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan as the typhoon closed in, according to the national government.
Driving rain was reported across the country.
More than 3 feet of rain fell at Taipingshan in western Yilan County from midnight through 10:30 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.
Many other locations around the nation picked up at least 10 inches of rain.
The storm weakened but still posed a threat to China on Wednesday, according to AccuWeather. Megi will pack some punch as it sweeps into China as a strong tropical storm or minimal typhoon, the Weather Underground predicted.
Megi is the third typhoon to hit Taiwan in two weeks.
The island’s eastern coast was still recovering from damage caused by Super Typhoon Meranti this month.
Meranti was followed by Typhoon Malakas, according to weather.com.
Overall, four typhoons have battered Taiwan this season.