Typhoon shuts businesses, forces flight cancellations in southern Taiwan

TAIPEI: Taiwan braced for typhoon Bailu on Saturday, shutting businesses and schools as airlines canceled hundreds of flights amid warnings of landslides, floods and high seas on the island. Typhoon Bailu, categorized at the weakest typhoon level by Taiwan’s weather bureau, made landfall in Saturday afternoon in the southern county of Pingtung with maximum winds of 137 km per hour. Hundreds of people were moved to safety, while more than 350 flights were canceled. Some 34,000 soldiers were deployed in the south amid fears of floods. The storm, which was the first to make landfall on the island in more than two years, cut power to nearly 30,000 homes and caused localized flooding in Taiwan.