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| A resident walks on a flooded road in Jeju, Sept. 17. Yonhap |
The midsized Typhoon Chanthu passed by Jeju Island and the nation's south coast Friday, bringing drenching rains and high winds, flooding low-lying neighborhoods, knocking down trees and a streetlight, and grounding flights.
The Korea Meteorological Administration said the southern coastal regions came under the influence of the season's 14th typhoon, as it was moving east-northeast toward Japan at the speed of 27 kph in the sea about 150 kilometers east of Jeju's Seongsan port as of 1 p.m.
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| An elderly lady pushes her handcart through rain in Jeju, Sept. 17. Yonhap |
Chanthu has soaked Jeju with about 600 millimeters to 1,300 millimeters of rain since Monday, but the KMA had lifted a typhoon warning for the southern resort island as of 1 p.m. Friday. Instead, a typhoon warning remains in effect for the South Sea.
Overnight, it downed trees and a streetlight, tore away parts of a guard rail, and submerged roads and farmland, according to the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. No injuries were reported as of 11 a.m.
The state agency received reports in Jeju of three cases of fallen street lights and trees, one case each of a broken guardrail and a utility pole, five cases of flooded roads and the submergence of three hectares of agricultural land.
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| Firefighters respond to a damaged house in Jeju, Sept. 17. Yonhap |
From 12-6 a.m. Friday, firefighters responded to 16 reports of overwhelmed drainage systems. Some 60 reports on structural damage have come in since Monday when the island began seeing the typhoon's indirect effects.
The island's government blocked the entry to scores of low-lying areas that are prone to flash flooding and landslides. On Friday morning, 23 flights to and from Jeju were canceled and 48 ferries on 29 routes connecting the island and other parts of the country have been grounded.
As of the early afternoon, an additional 19 flights had been canceled and service had been halted on 62 ferry routes.
In some southwestern cities, including Yeosu and Suncheon, 196 residents were temporarily evacuated for fear of landslides and some 130 people could not return to their homes.
The KMA said the southeastern coastal areas will be pounded by more than 30 mm of rain per hour, accompanied by thunder and lightning, in the afternoon. In the sea, the wind will blow very strongly at 45-95 kph and wave heights will reach between 2 and 8 meters.
The nation will be completely out of the sphere of influence of the typhoon by Saturday. (Yonhap)
