Typhoon Soudelor Impacts: 1 Killed in Taiwan as Storm Begins To Impact Island Nation

Threats From Ernesto Impacting US Coastal Areas

Typhoon Soudelor is starting to impact the island nation of Taiwan, where one person has already been killed by the large storm.

An 8-year-old girl died when she was swept out to sea by strong waves as the storm neared land, the Guardian reported. Authorities said the girl was killed on Thursday, and another child is also missing. A 38-year-old woman and another child survived the incident, the report added.

The municipal government in the city of Kaohsiung evacuated hospital patients and pregnant women, setting up special shelters in areas likely to be flooded and preparing 13,000 sandbags. More than 2,000 people were relocated from Taiwan's outer islands, where many tourists visit on vacations, the Guardian also said.

Schools and offices in Yilan and Hualien counties closed Friday ahead of the typhoon's scheduled landfall, Taiwan News reports. In addition, schools and offices on Taitung County's Orchid Island and Green Island will be closed. 

In southeastern Taiwan, ferry operators in Taitung County have announced that services between Fugang Harbor, Green Island and Orchid Island will be suspended through Sunday. The Taiwan Railways Administration have canceled their holiday cruise-style trains, as they travel through mountainous regions vulnerable to the heavy rains and winds brought on by the typhoon.

(MORE: Soudelor Causes Major Damage in Saipan)

Earlier this week, Soudelor underwent rapid intensification and became a super typhoon, the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth so far in 2015. While it's not guaranteed to restrengthen into a super typhoon, it can't be ruled out, according to weather.com meteorologist Jon Erdman.  

Causing further strife for residents, the high prices of vegetables often seen prior to typhoons emerged, increasing the cost - especially for leafy green vegetables - by 15 and 45 percent, the report added.

The Water Resources Agency has said it has 881 water pumps on hand, 800 of which will be placed in designated areas and the rest will be allocated as needed, according to a separate Focus Taiwan report. They have also placed 35 detention ponds in areas prone to flooding.

Soudelor has already caused devastation along its journey, particularly on the island of Saipan. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands remains without power and water in the wake of the tropical system, and U.S. President Barack Obama declared the nation a disaster area, according to the Associated Press. The disaster declaration allows federal funding to be sent to the U.S. territory as it rebuilds from the massive storm.