After leaving at least 10 people dead in the Philippines, Super Typhoon Nanmadol bore down on Taiwan Sunday forcing thousands of people to evacuate from coastal and mountain regions.
Over 3,000 residents had to leave their homes in the southern and eastern areas of the country as Nanmadol, the first typhoon of the season, slowly tracked toward the island republic.
The typhoon is to hit as early as Monday local time.
Taiwanese government authorities warned residents of flooding in coastal regions and mudslides in the mountains, the Taipei Times reported.
Flights have been canceled, schools closed, and soldiers mobilized with heavy equipment, including portable power generators, water pumps, and amphibious assault vehicles, the paper said.
Named after a prehistoric city in Micronesia, Nanmadol has recorded consistent winds of 85mph and gusts of up to 107 mph on its path toward Taiwan from the Philippines.
At least 10 people were killed and over 50,000 evacuated in the Philippines as Nanmodal hit the north of the country.
According to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), a super typhoon is determined when sustained surface winds reach at least 240kph (150 mph). It is the equivalent of a strong Saffir-Simpson category 4 or category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin, and a category 5 severe tropical cyclone in the Australian basin, according to the JTWC website.
Meanwhile forecasters, reporting on the JTWC website, are predicting “rough sea, gusty winds, and heavy downpours” right across Taiwan as Nanmadol moves through and heads northeast to China.
The JTWC is predicting a busy week for emergency services in the region with a second typhoon, Talas, developing and strengthening further east of Nanmadol.
Over 35,000 defense service personnel were mobilized to help with emergency response strategies.
