TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Approximately 5,192 households in Chiayi County were left without electricity after Typhoon Podul’s gusts battered coastal and mountain areas, toppling trees and damaging power lines, Taipower reported Wednesday.

The company’s Chiayi branch said that Podul made landfall in Taimali, Taitung, at 1 p.m. before crossing Taiwan and moving back out to sea near Qigu, Tainan, around 4 p.m., per CNA. Multiple outages were reported from the afternoon in coastal and highland communities.

By 5 p.m., roughly 5,192 households had lost power, with service restored to about 1,000. The remaining outages were concentrated in Budai and Yijhu along the coast, as well as Alishan, Fanlu, and Dapu in the mountains.

Taipower said the typhoon’s storm radius continued to cover Chiayi’s coastal areas in the late afternoon, forcing some repair work to be suspended for safety reasons. Crews had pre-positioned crane trucks, aerial lift vehicles, and generators to resume operations as soon as winds ease.

Taipower urged residents to stay away from downed power lines, fallen poles, and damaged electrical equipment during the storm. The company asked the public to report hazards through its 1911 customer hotline or the Taiwan Power app.

The company added that all repair work will resume in full once weather conditions improve, with priority given to restoring service in the most affected communities.