Typhoon shuts down southern Taiwan

Typhoon Nanmadol roared through Taiwan today, after hammering the Philippines as a category 3 typhoon late last week.  Typhoon Manmadol packed sustained winds of up to 85 mph (137 kph) as it blasted the Philippines, killing 12, injuring 21, and driving 14,000 people into evacuation centers. Although downgraded to a category 1 storm before making landfall in Taiwan, the government took the precaution of evacuating 3,000 residents out of the storms path, and deployed 35,000 soldiers to handle all contingencies. In Taiwan, the weakened Nanmadol carried sustained winds of 60 mph and caused substantial flooding. Next stop: China.

Image: Typhoon Nanmadol over the Phillipines; source: NASA