Olaf hit the coast near San Jose del Cabo on Thursday as a second-degree hurricane, accompanied by a wind of 155 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
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On Friday night, when it was about 65 kilometers southwest of Cabo san Lazaro, the wind speed dropped to 65 kilometers per hour. At least 700 locals spent the night in evacuation shelters, while an estimated 20,000 foreign tourists waited in their hotels for the end of the storm.
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The aftermath of Hurricane Olaf
Foto: Stringer, Reuters
The aftermath of Hurricane Olaf in Cabo San Lucas
Foto: Stringer, Reuters
No casualties were reported. Although Olaf has caused a major power outage, electricity supplies are gradually being restored. Some hotels reported minor damage.
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The NHC expects the storm to continue along Mexico’s west coast on Saturday. She should then retreat further over the Pacific by Saturday night.
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Typhoon Chanthu is weakening
Typhoon Chanthu, which is heading from the Philippines towards Taiwan, is expected to hit the mainland only marginally. Even so, it will bring heavy rains and strong gusts of wind.
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According to the latest forecasts of Taiwanese meteorologists, Chanthu will hit the sparsely populated and mountainous east coast of Taiwan on Sunday night local time (Saturday after noon) and then head to the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Shanghai, Reuters reported.
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Typhoon heading from the Philippines
Photo: Uncredited, TK/AP
Although the storm, originally classified as a super typhoon, is losing strength, authorities have launched a mechanism to prepare for a natural disaster and warned of possible landslides and floods.
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Taiwanese airlines canceled domestic flights on Saturday, the impact on international traffic is minimal. Before Chanthu arrived, the fishing boats moved to the safety of Nan-fan-kao Bay in the northeast of the island.
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Fishermen in Taiwan are preparing to hit a typhoon
Foto: Chiang Ying-ying, ČTK/AP
Chanthu formed between Guam and the Philippines on Monday, and meteorologists were surprised at how quickly it turned into a strong storm. “Chanthu changed from a lower pressure to a fifth-type typhoon in 48 hours,” said Sam Lillo, a representative of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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In the second half of the year, Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, which are gaining strength over the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean or the South China Sea. However, the subtropical island is dependent on typhoons because it is supplemented by drinking water supplies. Last year, according to Reuters, Taiwan’s typhoons escaped, leading to the worst droughts in history and widespread restrictions on drinking water use.
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In 2009, Taiwan was ravaged by Typhoon Morakot, which claimed nearly 700 lives in a series of landslides.
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