Typhoon Koinu shatters national gust records at Orchid Island

Typhoon Koinu shatters national gust records at Orchid Island

2023-10-05

Typhoon Koinu passed through the waters near Orchid Island on Wednesday, unleashing record-topping winds. An island weather station recorded speeds of 95.2 meters per second, exceeding Level 17 on the Beaufort scale. That’s the fastest speed even seen in Taiwan since records began 126 years ago. The fierce winds left a trail of devastation on the island, with heavy damage at ports, schools, and homes. Work and classes will be suspended on Friday, so that locals can begin repairs.

Three doors are blown right off their frame by a strong gust. Typhoon Koinu battered Orchid Island with strong winds Wednesday night, leaving some homes without a roof.

Broken glass covers the floor. Locals say Orchid Island hadn’t seen such strong gales in 18 years. At 9:53 p.m. on Wednesday, the island’s weather station recorded gusts reaching 95.2 meters per second, topping the highest grade of 17 on the Beaufort scale. This intensity is the highest ever recorded in Taiwan, and it broke off the anemometer at the meteorological station.

Wu Wan-hua
CWA forecaster
As the typhoon passed over Orchid Island, it brought destructive, record-breaking gusts to the Orchid Island meteorological station, which registered a wind speed of 95.2 meters per second. That’s more than 17 on the Beaufort scale.

After the stormy night, 90% of vessels at Kaiyuan Port had capsized or gone missing.

A local with a cane heads down to the pier for a look.

Voice of Wu Li-hua
DPP lawmaker
Locals are devastated by the damage. They’ve cried to me how their fishing boats were damaged or turned over. They don’t know whether the government will help them. So this morning I contacted all the relevant government agencies one by one.

Voice of Lai Kuen-cheng
Former Taitung City mayor
Many boats in the fishing harbor have sunk. I tried making 20 to 30 calls to Orchid Island, but only two of them got through. The signal came and went.

The storm wreaked havoc at schools as well.

This ceiling has mostly collapsed, leaving just a few tiles hanging and cables all over the place. At Lanyu Junior High, shelves and storage units inside classrooms were knocked over, and windows lay strewn on the floor in the corridor. Outside, even the flagpole was bent over completely. It’s a similar scene at other schools.

Here, palm trees were torn apart by the strong winds and metal roofing was blown to the ground. Windows were smashed, letting water into the classrooms. It’s a true scene of destruction.

Yao Ching-ling
Taitung commissioner
The damage to schools is quite severe. Classes will only resume after the environment is safe for students. Work and classes in Orchid Island will be suspended tomorrow, Oct. 6.

Orchid Island bore the brunt of Typhoon Koinu, which left the entire island without electricity and internet. With heavy damage to industry and schools, work and school have been called off for Friday, to give locals time to make repairs.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

17級陣風肆虐! 蘭嶼全島停電週五停班停課

2023-10-05

小犬颱風中心週三通過蘭嶼附近海域，出現每秒95.2米強的17級以上強風，刷新台灣126年來的風速紀錄。強風暴雨襲擊下，蘭嶼的港口一片狼藉，開元漁港有9成的船隻，翻船或消失。校園也被風雨摧殘。台東縣府宣布，蘭嶼週五依舊停班停課。

三面落地鋁門窗，直接被狂風捲走，小犬颱風週三晚上通過蘭嶼海域，強大陣風肆虐全島。還有居民的屋子，直接開天窗。

玻璃碎片散落滿地，居民滿聲無奈，直呼住在蘭嶼18年沒看過如此誇張的強風。其實在4號晚上9:53分，蘭嶼氣象站測得瞬間最大陣風，每秒95.2公尺，超過17級以上的強陣風，不僅一舉刷新紀錄，還吹毀氣象站風速計。

[[中央氣象署簡任技正伍婉華]]
“昨天晚上經過蘭嶼的時候，給我們蘭嶼氣象站帶來了破壞性而且是創紀錄的強陣風
達到每秒95.2公尺的強陣風，是17級以上的強陣風。”

經過一夜風雨摧殘，開元港船隻，高達9成翻船或消失。

心情好焦急，長輩拄著拐杖，就想去看看船隻狀況。

[[聲源: 立委(民) 伍麗華]]
“目前他們的災情(居民)其實是欲哭無淚，跟我哭訴說，漁船的損壞翻覆，不曉得政府能不能給他們相關幫助，所以我早上一一聯絡相關單位。”

[[聲源: 前台東市長賴坤成]]
“整個漁港的漁船很多都已經沉下去。打了二、三十通電話(給蘭嶼居民)，大概只有兩通(連絡得上)，訊號也都斷斷續續的。”

不只港口，校園災情也很慘重。

整片天花板，剩沒幾塊，全都砸落，管線也掉落，蘭嶼中學不僅教室內的櫃子都翻倒，窗戶也都被吹砸在走廊上，戶外的旗桿，在強風吹拂下，甚至直接折到趴地。其他學校受損也很嚴重。

有的校園椰子樹直接被風吹斷，教學大樓屋頂大量鋼瓦，散落校園。有的窗戶破裂，教室積水。幾所學校宛如被轟炸。

[[台東縣長饒慶鈴]]
“校舍損壞狀況蠻嚴重的。學生能夠安全上課才能夠復課。我在這裡也宣布，蘭嶼鄉明天(10/6)停班停課。”

小犬發威，重創蘭嶼，不僅全島停電、網路中斷，謀生工具和學校都被摧毀，國慶連假前最後一天上班日，蘭嶼依舊停班停課，要讓居民盡快重建家園。

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