Taipei, Taiwan – Taiwanese authorities have ordered the evacuation of more than 8,300 people in anticipation of the arrival of Typhoon Fung Wong. The severe weather event, which reached the island Wednesday, has already triggered torrential rain across the mountainous eastern coast, resulting in widespread and catastrophic flooding, with water levels reaching neck-height in some rural areas.

Fifty one people have been reported injured, while businesses and schools across much of the southern regions of the island have been shut as a precautionary measure. Emergency services, supported by military personnel, have been conducting rescue operations, particularly in the severely affected Yilan and Hualien provinces, to assist residents trapped by the rising floodwaters.

The typhoon is currently forecast to track past Taiwan’s southernmost tip later today before moving into the Pacific Ocean. Fung Wong had previously traversed the Philippines, where it tragically claimed the lives of 25 people, before losing some of its intensity en route to Taiwan.