Taiwan canceled 979 domestic and international flights Friday and shut schools, offices and financial markets across almost the entire island as Typhoon Champi drove destructive waves, torrential rain and damaging winds into coastal communities. One person was killed, at least 163 were injured and 2,639 people were evacuated from vulnerable mountain districts, according to the latest Reuters report.
The island’s Central Weather Administration maintained a land warning Friday morning Eastern time. Champi remained a powerful typhoon even after weakening from its earlier peak, with sustained winds near 96 mph and gusts around 119 mph. Its broad wind field covered roughly 200 miles, large enough to expose most of Taiwan to dangerous conditions even if the storm’s center stayed offshore.
The most immediate disruption was to transportation. Taiwan’s transport ministry counted 262 canceled domestic flights and 717 canceled international flights, while ferry services to outlying islands were also suspended. The latest schedule showed cancellations and delays extending into Saturday on routes serving Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and other Asian destinations. EVA Air said some flights through midday Saturday would be canceled, while the airline’s travel notice told passengers traveling through Taiwan or Japan to verify flight status before going to the airport.
Casualty count changes as damage reports arrive
Early official casualty totals changed during the day as reports moved through Taiwan’s emergency system. The Central Emergency Operations Center initially reported one death and 94 injuries; Reuters later put the injury count at 163 after officials revised an earlier figure of 171. The fatality occurred when a person was swept away by waves near Liuqiu, according to the Associated Press. The changing injury count reflects an evolving tally, not evidence of additional confirmed deaths.
Power and infrastructure damage spread across the island. Taiwan Power Co. said 77,498 households lost electricity by midafternoon local time, with service restored to about three-quarters and 19,029 still without power. Waves as high as 20 to 26 feet battered eastern harbors, swept a large crane into the sea and damaged a section of Provincial Highway 9. Local reporting also documented emergency evacuations in New Taipei and Yilan and road closures where continuing erosion threatened embankments.
Authorities sent mobile alerts to coastal residents warning of gusts above 93 mph and urging people to seek shelter. Nearly three feet of rain was forecast in northern mountain areas around Taipei, raising the risk of flash flooding and landslides even if Champi’s eye did not cross the coast. Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, visited the central emergency operations center as military vehicles and rescue boats were placed on standby in the northeast.
Why the shutdown matters beyond Taiwan
The storm’s effects reach beyond a regional travel emergency. Taiwan is a central hub for global electronics and semiconductor production, making prolonged power or transport disruption a potential concern for U.S. manufacturers and technology companies. For now, that risk remains limited: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said its operations were normal and reported no significant impact. That statement is important because there was no confirmed chip-production interruption as of the reporting cutoff.
American travelers also face direct disruption. U.S.-bound long-haul service was among the flights canceled or altered, and EVA Air’s North American guidance offered rebooking flexibility for eligible travel through Taiwan on Oct. 23 and 24. Passengers should rely on their carrier’s live status rather than the published timetable because airlines continued to add Saturday cancellations as the storm moved north.
What happens next
Champi was about 106 miles east of Taiwan late Friday local time and was expected to pass near the northeastern coast before turning toward southern Japan. Forecasters said landfall could not be ruled out if the storm slowed, looped or shifted west. Schools and offices in 13 Taiwanese counties and cities were ordered closed again Saturday, and ferry and airline disruptions were set to continue.
The principal uncertainty is no longer whether Champi will affect Taiwan—it already has—but how long its large circulation will keep heavy rain over the island and whether the center moves closer to land. Residents face the highest immediate risk from coastal waves, falling objects, landslides and flooded roads. Transportation schedules, outage totals and casualty figures are likely to change as emergency crews reach harder-hit districts.
Regional effects were also widening. Flights were canceled and power was knocked out in Japan’s southwestern islands, while Philippine authorities halted ferries in exposed northern waters and evacuated residents in Cagayan province. Those measures support the forecast that Champi will remain a multijurisdictional hazard after its closest approach to Taiwan, even as its peak winds weaken.
