Twin tropical storms threaten flooding, mudslides in Taiwan and Vietnam

Taiwan has issued a sea warning on Friday for Super Typhoon Chanthu, known as Kiko in the Philippines, which is currently expected to pass over the island on Saturday before heading north towards Shanghai and the Chinese coastline. Chanthu is currently displaying wind speeds of 240 kilometers per hour (149 miles per hour), although it may weaken slightly as it nears Taiwan.Speaking to Taiwan’s state-run Central News Agency on Thursday, Central Weather Bureau forecaster Wu Wan-hua said she expected to see torrential rain across the southern part of the island.There is also the risk of intense winds, flooding and mudslides in Taiwan’s high terrain.At the same time, in the South China Sea, tropical storm Conson is due to make landfall in Vietnam on Sunday afternoon, with the country putting 500,000 soldiers on standby ahead of its arrival. Conson is known as Jolina in the Philippines.Although it is a much weaker storm than Super Typhoon Chanthu, Conson is still expected to have windspeeds of up to 150 kmph (92 mph) ahead of landfall over the weekend.The Vietnamese government has also ordered vessels to stay in port and prepared evacuation plans, Reuters said, quoting state-run media. As many as 800,000 people in Vietnam’s northern provinces could be affected by the storm’s arrival, the fifth to make landfall in the country this year.Vietnam isn’t the only country affected by tropical storm Conson. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has issued a Signal 3 out of 5 for heavy rain, high winds, and coastal inundation as the country will see these conditions for the next 24 hours.Vietnam’s weather agency has warned there are likely to be between six and eight more typhoons and tropical storms in the South China Sea this year.Reuters contributed to this article.