Typhoon Doksuri: Taiwan shuts businesses, cancels flights

Taiwan on Thursday braced itself for Typhoon Doksuri, shutting down businesses and canceling flights in the southern part of the island.

Kaohsiung, Tainan preparing for impact

Two of Taiwan's biggest cities in the south, Kaohsiung and Tainan, have made emergency preparations by closing schools and offices. Kaohsiung also evacuated residents who live in a mountainous part of the city.

Tens of thousands of people in both cities lost power earlier in the day, but service was later restored.

The counties of Hualien and Taitung, which lie on the eastern part of the island, also announced business and school closures. Railway lines between southern and eastern parts of Taiwan have been shut down.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai said in an earlier Facebook post that the storm is not to be underestimated and the "police and military force will assist in the effort of forced evacuation if needed."

What's the overall trajectory of the storm?

The system is expected to travel through the Taiwan Strait during the course of the day.

The center of the storm, however, is not anticipated to reach Taiwan's mainland. The outer parts of the storm will bring fierce winds and heavy rains to the island.

Mainland China is also preparing for the typhoon, having issued a red alert. The eastern coastal city of Shantou in Guangdong has largely shut down ahead of the storm's impact.

The storm is also expected to lash the eastern Chinese province of Fujian. In addition, Hong Kong sent out a storm warning.

The typhoon has weakened since it battered the northern coast of the Philippines, killing at least seven and displacing tens of thousands of people. The storm destroyed rural houses, flooded villages and knocked out power, bringing devastation to a Southeast Asian country with significant poverty.