Taiwan braces for arrival of Typhoon Soudelor

Taiwanese businesses and schools were closing early Friday as Typhoon Soudelor moved slowly westward toward the island, bringing heavy rain and winds.

As of 1:15 p.m. local time, the storm – among the strongest to form in the Pacific so far this year – was situated due east of the island and was moving about 13 miles per hour, Taiwan’s central weather bureau said. It was expected to make landfall early Saturday local time, sweep across the island, and then continue on toward mainland China.

The entire island was under an “extremely torrential rain” advisory. Yilan County on the northeast side of the island received more than three inches of rain between midnight and 1:15 p.m., and parts of New Taipei City had received almost as much.

Winds at the center of the storm were gusting up to 129 mph, the weather bureau said. Some train and ferry services were suspended, but flights were continuing to take off and arrive at Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport on Friday afternoon.

Some schools and businesses on the eastern side of the island, closest to the storm, shuttered for the entire day Friday, but in most parts of Taiwan, only evening classes and work activities were called off.

Students who had been protesting revised guidelines to the high school history curriculum outside the Ministry of Education since last week called off their demonstration ahead of the storm, the Taiwan News repoted.

Soudelor walloped the Northern Mariana Islands earlier in the week, knocking out water and power to Saipan. President Obama has declared the U.S. territory a major disaster zone, which qualifies residents for increased federal assistance.

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