By Zhen-Kang —

Typhoon Gaemi

Possibly Kaohsiung’s worst typhoon since 2009…

A toppled shrub on the side of the road in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after Typhoon Gaemi.
Inconsequential damage. Photo: Zhen-Kang.

Typhoon Gaemi made landfall in northern Taiwan yesterday, but perhaps counter-intuitively, the south was hardest hit. Taipei is surrounded by mountains, but Kaohsiung has no protection from south-westerly winds:

Map showing Typhoon Gaemi just off the coast of Mainland China, with heavy winds hitting Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from the south.
Typhoon Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, as it moved from Taiwan to China. Graphic: windy.com.

Local friends told me this is the worst typhoon to hit Kaohsiung since Typhoon Morakot killed 471 people in a landslide in 2009.

Today, Friday July 26, is the third day in a row that Kaohsiung’s mayor has declared a typhoon day—meaning all schools and non-essential businesses are closed.

I’ve been fine in my apartment. Over the three days leading up to Gaemi’s arrival, I removed items from the balcony and stocked up on dry foods. (I also had supplies from my emergency preparedness drive last year.)

But after two days indoors, by last night I was itching to head out. So, when the wind briefly eased, I took a walk to my third-nearest convenience store. There are five within five minutes’ walk of my apartment, but only one can be reached without getting wet…

I noticed more damage in my neighborhood than expected. This is all small-time compared to terrifying scenes elsewhere in Kaohsiung, but I was still surprised…

An uprooted, fallen tree, on a grassy median strip in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Outside my door.
Two fallen trees in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after Typhoon Gaemi.
20 meters down the road.
A fallen tree on a grassy median strip in Kaohsiung Taiwan.
Further along the same block.
A topped motorbike on its side.
Yup.
Eight sandbags blocking the entrance to a vehicle elevator for an underground parking lot.
I’m not sure if the water reached this parking elevator…
Two building entrances, both blocked with vertical wooden boards, intended to stop water ingress during Typhoon Gaemi.
…But every building on this block had sandbags or wooden boards in place to stop the water.
A fallen and partially-smashed wall panel, approximately one meter by one meter, on wet concrete, next to a road in Kaohsiung.
I don’t know where this wall panel came from. It was at the entrance to an outdoor carpark.
Two fallen panels on the sidewalk in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The sidewalk is otherwise occupied by a dozen parked scooters.
I found more panels next door…
A pile of a few building tiles and some wooden boards next to a road cone.
…And some building tiles.
A WeMo electric scooter on a lean, against a conventional petrol-powered motorcycle, after Typhoon Gaemi.
An electric rental scooter.
A bicycle on its side on the sidewalk. The seat is wrapped in plastic to protect it from the rain.
A bicycle.
An illuminated temple gate with a dozen or more cars parked on the forecourt. The colors are reflected on the wet tarmac.
My local temple. The forecourt was covered in cars. I asked a friend if they’d been parked there for divine protection, and he said no, it’s more likely the owners were worried about flooding in basement carparks. (With good reason.)
A thoroughly-destroyed umbrella abandoned on the sidewalk outside a convenience store in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, post-Typhoon Gaemi.
I made it to 7-Eleven. An umbrella was there to greet me.
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