Typhoon Podul pounded Taiwan on Wednesday, shutting down businesses in the south, grounding flights and knocking out power for thousands of households, while parts of China made preparations for the storm to make landfall.

Typhoon Podul has crossed southeastern Taiwan, where schools and government offices were closed to wait out the storm.

Typhoon Podul slammed into southeastern Taiwan on Wednesday, with powerful winds and heavy rain lashing the island. The typhoon had wind gusts of 191 kilometers (119 miles) per hour as it made landfall in Taitung County at around 1 p.