The government of Taiwan has issued a typhoon holiday, closed down schools, suspended the stock market, disrupted military drills and cancelled all flights as they prepare for Typhoon Gaemi to reach the country today.

The president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, in an emergency briefing held this Wednesday morning has everyone to put safety first as they prepare for the onslaught of the typhoon.

Authorities in Taiwan say they have evacuated more than 4,000 people living in Hualien in the northern regions which is a mountainous area with high risk of landslides.

Meanwhile The typhoon has already killed 12 people in the Philippines on its way past the country and is expected to pass through the Taiwan Strait and hit China by Thursday in the eastern Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, where authorities have issued a red storm alert.