Taiwan closes schools and offices as typhoon Kong-rey approaches

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Schools and offices have been closed in Taiwan as a powerful typhoon approached on Thursday, bringing high winds and floods to much of the island’s east coast and northern areas.

Typhoon Kong-rey was expected to make landfall on Thursday evening and was blowing at 191 kilometers (119 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 234 kilometers (145 miles) per hour. Parts of the eastern counties of Yilan and Hualien were inundated, but many farmers in the largely rural areas had already brought in their crops in anticipation of damage from wind and rain.

No casualties or major property damage have been reported thus far in Taiwan from Kong-rey, which prompted villagers in northern Philippine provinces to evacuate to shelters on Wednesday.

In Taiwan's capitol Taipei, rain fell heavily amid high winds, while many public services, schools and offices were closed.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and regularly sends planes and warships around the island, largely suspended such missions, with just eight planes detected around the island between Wednesday and Thursday, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry.