Krathon -- packing sustained winds of 198 kilometres per hour (123 miles per hour), equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane, and gusts of up to 245 kph -- was expected to make landfall Wednesday near the major port city of Kaohsiung.
Offices and schools were closed across southern and eastern Taiwan and the interior ministry said more than 7,800 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas as a precaution.
President Lai Ching-te warned Krathon would "inevitably cause catastrophic damage".
"The path of Krathon is relatively rare, entering from the south and exiting from the east. Therefore we must be particularly vigilant," he said at a government briefing.
Dozens of international and domestic flights have been cancelled.
Nearly 40,000 troops were on standby for relief missions, the defence ministry said.
In southern Renwu district, part of Kaohsiung, soldiers were seen filling sandbags for distribution to the public, with a few dozen residents waiting at the district office to receive theirs.
Wu Mao-shu, a supervisor at the office, said "people are eager to collect sandbags to protect their homes. Up until yesterday we gave away around 7,400 and another 1,100 today so far."
Wu said authorities had also cleared the storm drains in the area to avoid a repeat of the widespread flooding seen during typhoon Gaemi in July.
Gaemi was the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in eight years, leaving at least 10 people dead and hundreds wounded.
Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October but experts say climate change has increased their intensity, leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts.
- 'Can't underestimate' Krathon -
In Kaohsiung, residents taped up windows, filled sandbags and erected barriers around their homes to keep out floodwaters.
Coast guard officers patrolling the nearby scenic tourist spot of Sizihwan Bay told people to stay away as powerful waves pounded the coast.
Retiree Ou Rui-yao, who was birdwatching in the area, said he had prepared his home for the storm.
"We need to be very careful as this typhoon must be very strong," said Ou, 82. "Since the tide is high, we have put up water barriers."
"For the whole of Taiwan, we can't underestimate this typhoon."
Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest chipmaker, said it had "activated routine typhoon alert preparation procedures" at all fabrication plants and construction sites on the island.
"We do not expect significant impact to our operations," it said in a statement.
- Philippine islands hit -
The typhoon was around 220 kilometres south-southwest of Kaohsiung at 1:00 pm (0500 GMT), the Central Weather Administration said.
The storm was approaching Taiwan after pounding a remote group of Philippine islands, where it cut power and communications and damaged "many" houses, according to the local mayor.
The Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Tuesday that nearly 1,800 people had been evacuated, around half in the Batanes islands near southern Taiwan.
Taiwan's coast guard said a Barbadian ship, the Blue Lagoon, was taking on water and tilting off the southeast city of Taitung due to the storm, with national rescue authorities later saying its 19 crew members had been airlifted to safety.
Across Taiwan, 23 typhoon-related minor injuries had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon, authorities said without providing details.
In Taitung, where the typhoon has brought heavy rains and waves of up to seven metres (23 feet), a man was sent to hospital after his truck was hit by a huge falling rock as he was driving along a mountainous route, local media said.
Typhoons are common around the region at this time of year.
However, a recent study showed that they are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.
Typhoon pounds remote Philippine island group near Taiwan
Manila (AFP) Sept 30, 2024 -
Typhoon Krathon pounded a remote group of tiny Philippine islands near Taiwan on Monday, cutting power and communication services, the state weather service and officials said.
The typhoon passed near the island of Sabtang in the Batanes group late in the morning with maximum sustained winds of 170 kilometres (106 miles) an hour and gusts of up to 215 kilometres (134 miles) an hour.
Krathon was expected to head towards Taiwan, where authorities closed schools and evacuated more than 800 people in the south and east as a precaution.
The Philippines' weather service said in its latest bulletin that "significant to severe impacts from typhoon-force winds are possible" in Batanes, a province of some 20,000 people.
Batanes governor Marilou Cayco, reached by satellite phone by the DZBB radio station in Manila, said the typhoon began to hit the islands last night and that 27 families had been evacuated.
"The wind is so strong, it is like an earthquake," she said.
Cayco said "many" houses were damaged, with roofing sheets flying through the air.
"People are asking for help but we cannot go out" because it was too dangerous, she said.
There were no reports of casualties before electricity and telephone contact were cut by the strong winds, said a senior Batanes police official, who was on the main island of Luzon further south and asked not to be identified.
The police official also told AFP "pre-emptive evacuations" were undertaken shortly before the typhoon struck.
Police and rescue officials in Batanes province could not be reached by normal phone service.
Photos and video clips posted on social media showed coconut trees swaying violently in a white blanket of rain and fog on Batan and Sabtang, two of the islands that make up Batanes province.
- 'Be vigilant' -
In Taiwan, rain had started to batter Taipei as well as the eastern side of the island on Monday afternoon, although Krathon was not expected to make landfall until Wednesday.
Fishermen in the northern port city of Keelung tied down their boats, while authorities said schools and offices from southern Pingtung to eastern Hualien were already closed.
"People in the east half (of the island), northern mountainous areas, and southern areas should pay special attention," President Lai Ching-te said in a Facebook post, adding that the weather patterns of Krathon "are complex".
Krathon is currently categorised as a medium-strength typhoon but there is potential for its "intensity to increase when it passes the South China Sea", said Lu Kuo-chen, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration's deputy chief.
Premier Cho Jung-tai said: "We must not take it lightly and we must be vigilant."
"The typhoon is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain, posing a great threat to all of Taiwan," Cho said.
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