The greatest cyclonic storm of the year, Typhoon Hinnamnor, has reached southern South Korea, devastating devastation to coastal communities.
Officials evacuated over 3,500 people in anticipation of the storm, which made landfall in the island city of Geoje.
It then churned northwards at a speed of 54 kilometers per hour, churning up surf and causing torrential rainfall and flooding.
Authorities claim that no casualties have been reported, but a 25-year-old male is still missing in Ulsan.
President Yoon Suk-yeol convened emergency response meetings on Monday in preparation for Typhoon Hinnamnor, which is estimated to be as powerful as the 2003 typhoon Maemi.
Nationally, trains were halted, hundreds of flights are canceled, and businesses and schools close early. The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, held a two-day disaster prevention meeting in preparation for the storm.
Tuesday morning, officials reported that the typhoon exited South Korea near the coast of Ulsan, but it left a path of destruction in its wake.
It is projected to move at a little sluggish rate towards Sapporo, a city in northern Japan. NASA reports that sea surface temperatures are several degrees above usual, which could aid in the storm’s persistence.
