Taiwan and China are preparing for the approach of super Typhoon Meranti, which is forecast to bring torrential rains and destructive winds.

In the past 24 hours, the Typhoon has evolved from the 1st category of the storm to the top of the scale 5-category hurricane. Currently, the wind gusts reach 183 mph (295 kph) with gusts of up to 223 mph (360 kph). The storm is forecast to approach the coast over the southern part of Taiwan and travel to China.

Taiwan is home to approximately 23 million people. Fortunately, most of the population lives on the Northern and Western side of the island. Despite this, the "Meranti", which probably will still be a super Typhoon will cause onshore winds over 150 mph / 240 kph) on the southern tip, the whole island will feel the wrath of the storm.

The force field of wind from the "Meranti" stretches over 350 miles (560 km) from one end to the other
sections: Accidents, World News