Typhoon Podul brings no major damage as it crosses Taiwan and heads for China

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Typhoon Podul crossed southern Taiwan, where authorities closed schools and government offices as heavy rain threatened more damage to agriculture in the island's southeast. No major damage was reported.

The storm hit Taitung county on the east coast shortly after noon, moving across the south of the island at about 36 kilometers (22 miles) per hour. By 5:00 p.m. (0900 GMT) its center was just off Taiwan's west coast, churning out into the Taiwan Strait and China, according to the Central Weather Administration.

In China, the coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong recalled fishing boats to port and evacuated around 15,000 people living near the coast to shelters further inland.

Taiwanese media reported one person missing on the east coast.

Typhoons like Podul typically hit Taiwan's east coast hard before losing speed and strength as they pass over the Central Mountain Range before continuing toward the Chinese coast. Podul measured 120 kilometers (75 miles) across and was expected to broaden even while losing strength as the storm moved westward.

The areas affected were well south of the capital, Taipei, along with Taiwan’s main international airport and high-tech industrial base. Around a dozen flights that would have traveled south toward the path of the storm were delayed or canceled.

The counties and cities of Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi, Yunlin, Pingtung and Hualien on the east coast and the island group of Penghu in the Taiwan Strait were taking the brunt of the storm.

Along with flooding, typhoons routinely damage fruit and other cash crops and bring landslides through the island’s center. Much of central and southern Taiwan was badly hit by heavy rains in recent weeks that caused severe damage to crops but minimal casualties, while also knocking out electricity to rural areas that took weeks to repair.