Taiwan prepares for typhoon as hurricane batters US
TAIPEI, Taiwan — As the United States grapples with Hurricane Irma, Taiwan was preparing Monday for an incoming typhoon with a range of alerts, cancellations and evacuations.
Typhoon Talim is due to make landfall late Wednesday. Taiwan’s central government was contacting the heads of mountain villages, arranging free evacuations to shelters, monitoring rivers and mudslide-prone areas.
Taiwan is hit by typhoons nearly every year. But it has become much more aggressive about preparations since Typhoon Morakot battered the island in 2009, killing roughly 700 people — most in mudslides.
Residents of the island are also taking warnings more seriously, officials say.