Typhoon Podul made landfall in Taitung shortly after 1 PM and is continuing
in a west-northwesterly direction at an hourly speed of 36 kilometers per
hour.

Those in Taitung and Hualian's coastal area have experienced wind gusts up to
level 14 and heavy rainfall.

Pingtung's Chun-ri (春日) saw a downpour of 105 millimeters over the past
hour, and the accumulated rainfall in Hualian's Fuli (富里) has reached over
270 millimeters so far today.

The CWA says Podul is now located some 20 kilometers south of Tai-tung and as
it's moving fast, forecasters expect the center of the typhoon to exit in
Tai-nan later in the afternoon.

Taitung officials say the stage of the Jin-lun (金崙) Ocean Music Festival is
engulfed by sea waves, and more than 2,300 households in the county are now
without power.

In Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Metro says the train intervals are now 15 minutes
apart and may be lengthened depending on the situation, while the Light Rail
system has been suspended.

Ping-tung officials say many roads in the county are now closed and 430
residents have been evacuated from mountainous areas as a precaution.

The Ken-ting National Park is also shut and people are banned from going to
the beaches, where Coast Guard is patrolling.

Meanwhile the Kinmen government has called off work and school tonight and
tomorrow.

(JL)