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Thousands of people were forced to evacuate South Korea on Tuesday as Typhoon Shinnamno made landfall in southern South Korea, causing heavy rain and squally winds, destroying trees and roads, powering more than 20,000 homes.
A 25-year-old man went missing after he fell into a rain-swelled stream in the southern city of Ulsan, according to the Ministry of Interior and Security, which did not immediately report any further casualties.
Posco is reported to have a fire at a large steel plant in the southern city of Pohang, but it is unclear whether the fire was caused by the storm.
Government officials have alerted the country to potential damage from floods, landslides and tidal waves from Hinnamnor, which they say will be the strongest storm to hit the country in years.
The storm came weeks after torrential rains hit the capital, Seoul and nearby areas, sparking flash floods and killing at least 14 people.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo called for aggressive evacuations of residents in flood-prone areas, saying Shinnam Nol could end up being “a historically powerful typhoon that we have never experienced.”
The Korea Meteorological Administration said Hinnamnor was moving northeast with winds of up to 144 kilometers per hour (89 mph) after brushing over the southern resort island of Jeju and making landfall near the mainland port of Busan early on Tuesday.
Since Sunday, the storm dumped more than 94 centimeters (37 inches) of rain in central Jeju, where winds peaked at 155 km/h (96 mph).
More than 3,400 people in the southern region were forced to evacuate due to security concerns, and officials advised or ordered more than 14,000 to evacuate, the security ministry said.
At least five homes and buildings were flooded or damaged, and dozens of roads were damaged.
More than 600 schools across the country have closed or switched to online classes. More than 250 flights and 70 ferry services were grounded, and more than 66,000 fishing boats were evacuated to the port. By 6 a.m., workers had managed to restore power to 2,795 of the 20,334 homes that were without power.
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