Super typhoon to hit Taiwan on Monday

A super typhoon is poised to make landfall in Taiwan on Monday evening, bringing heavy rainfall and strong gusts, the weather office here said.

According to the Central Weather Bureau, as of Monday morning typhoon Dujuan was centred at 200 km east-southeast of Hualien county, moving at a speed of 18 km per hour in a west-northwesterly direction, Taiwan News online reported.

On Dujuan's current path, it could make landfall between 8.00 p.m. to 11.00 p.m., bringing the severest impact to Taiwan overnight, forecasters said.

The inclement weather is not likely to ease up until Tuesday, when the storm moves towards southeastern China, the bureau added.

Taipei Mayor Eric Chu has urged residents in the Wulai district of the greater Taipei area to evacuate their homes. The government expects an estimated 3,919 residents to leave the Wulai area by the end of the day.

Residents near the riverside should stay on the alert against flooding as there could be tides that reach 3.4 metres in height, weather officials said.

More than 24,000 troops are on standby for disaster relief and evacuations, with 100 shelters set up. Emergency response centres have also been established in the north and east, the government said.