Stay away from coasts and mountains, Taiwan’s prime minister warned published at 01:35 BST01:35 BST Taiwanese authorities issued urgent safety warnings on Thursday ahead of the landfall of Typhoon Champi. Following an emergency briefing, Prime Minister Cho Jung-Tai urged the public to avoid all high-risk areas. “After it makes landfall, it will envelop all of Taiwan. It will slowly leave Taiwan on the 24th and 25th,” Central Meteorological Administration (CWA) chief Lu Kuo-chen said at a news conference, adding that winds would be strongest from Friday to Saturday. National Fire Agency Chief Secretary Cheng Chih Chiang had asked the local governing body on Taiwan’s eastern coast to evacuate residents living downstream of the Wanli Creek landslide dam in Hualien. The dam was holding back five million metric tons of water as of Thursday morning, according to Premier Cho, and there is a risk it could break in the storm. Cheng urged the public to stay away from mountainous areas, streams and beaches even after Champi leaves Taiwan.
