Military personnel stand by as Typhoon Malakas nears Taiwan
ROC Central News Agency
2016/09/16 19:26:55
Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has ordered 23,308 soldiers to be on standby as Typhoon Malakas approaches Taiwan.
The deployment was made by the ministry's disaster prevention and control center -- set up Friday -- as part of preparations for possible rescue and disaster-response missions when the storm affects the island, according to an MND statement released Friday.
The ministry has also mobilized over 1,900 vehicles and vessels and deployed 3,117 people in 120 locations around the country that are prone to landslides and flooding, the statement said.
Ninety-two military camps around the island have been designated as shelters for those who might have to be evacuated as the storm approaches, the statement said.
As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, Malakas was centered some 310 kilometers east of Hengchun Township in the southernmost part of Taiwan, moving at a speed of 19 km per hour in a north-northwesterly direction, according to Central Weather Bureau data.
It is packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kph, with gusts reaching 191 kph, according to the bureau.
Malakas is the second typhoon to affect Taiwan in a week, following Typhoon Meranti, which devastated southern Taiwan on Wednesday, causing one death and leaving several dozens of people injured.
(By Claudia Liu and Elizabeth Hsu)
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