<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Typhoon Koinu grazed the southern&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">edge of Taiwan on Thursday, blanketing the region in torrential rain and&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">bringing record-breaking winds of more than 340 kilometres an hour to an&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">outlying island.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The eastern volcanic islet of Orchid Island -- mostly home to fishermen and&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">farmers -- saw gusts equivalent to 342.72 kilometres (212 miles) per hour&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">overnight as Koinu moved west towards Taiwan's southern tip, according to the&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Central Weather Administration.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"The maximum wind gusts of 95.2 metres per second measured in Orchid Island&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">last night is a new record in Taiwan," the forecaster told AFP.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Koinu was initially expected to hit the island's southern tip directly, but&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">"its course has veered further south", the forecaster said, adding that the&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">storm could move out to sea.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Experts say climate change has made the paths of tropical storms harder to&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">forecast while increasing their intensity -- leading to heavy rains, flash&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">floods and strong gales.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Taiwan experiences frequent tropical storms from May to November, and on&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Thursday it had closed schools and offices in anticipation of Koinu's impact.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">More than 200 international and domestic flights were cancelled, while nearly&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">3,000 people in mountainous regions were evacuated as a precaution.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Residents living in the southern county of Taitung had stocked up on food&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">ahead of the typhoon.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"We live in the mountains and have to drive some distance to come here.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">That's why we thought we better stock up just in case," 26-year-old Meng Xin&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">told AFP.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Streets were deserted on Thursday as rains drenched the region, with strong&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">winds knocking over street signs and tearing off metal roofing.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">A 7-11 convenience store had taped up its glass windows and doors to prevent&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">breakage.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Koinu comes about a month after Taiwan saw a direct hit by Typhoon Haiku --&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">the first in four years -- which forced nearly 8,000 people to evacuate from&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">their homes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">It is expected to weaken as it moves towards the coastal waters of China's&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">eastern Guangdong province.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The Chinese territory -- which last month was skirted by a typhoon before&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">being flooded by the heaviest rainfall in 140 years days later -- issued its&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">lowest typhoon signal last night. AFP</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbbd24/kh</div>