SEOUL, Sept 16 — Jeju is preparing for the impact of Typhoon Chanthu, which is heading toward the resort island from the south, packing maximum winds of 29 meters per second.
Yonhap news agency said the Korea Meteorological Administration predicted the slow-moving typhoon to begin picking up speed Thursday afternoon and move the closest to the island around 8 am Friday.
The Jeju government has gone into emergency mode, activating civil servants and the Marine Corps in anticipation of flooding and possible damage to buildings, as well as checking the island’s preparedness for the typhoon.
A typhoon advisory will be issued at noon covering the entire island, it said.
The season’s 14th typhoon is forecast to pass 160 kilometres southwest of the port city of Busan at around 3 pm Friday and churn toward Japan along the Korea Strait, a sea passage between South Korea and Japan, the weather agency said.
The midsized typhoon has already brought heavy downpours to the island, with some parts receiving as much as 700 mm of rain by Wednesday afternoon, triggering flash flooding and trapping cars on roads.
Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to continue on Jeju and the southern regions, including the provinces of Jeolla and Gyeongsang, with the threat of flash floods, landslides and damage to structures.
Up to 400 mm of rain is expected to further fall on the island Thursday, accompanied by powerful winds of 30-40 meters per second.
Sources: BERNAMA
