Taiwan’s typhoon preparedness has helped keep casualties low. (EPA Images pic)TAIPEI: Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Friday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Champi, which is forecast to bring strong winds and torrential rain, though the storm is weakening and is not expected to make direct landfall on the island.
At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi was still packing gusts of around 191kph (119 mph) near its centre, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA).
"The storm was about 330km east of Taiwan's southern tip," the CWA said.
The storm's forecast track shows it will pass just off northeastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.
