Taiwan prepares for strong typhoon as monsoon rains kill 13 in the Philippines

Streets flood from monsoon rains in Manila Philippines (Joeal Calupitan/AP)

Taiwan closed shuttered offices, schools and tourist sites across the island ahead of a powerful typhoon that already increased seasonal rains in the Philippines, killing at least 13 people and displacing 600,000.

Typhoon Gaemi’s outer skirt was bringing heavy rain to much of Taiwan, where a direct landfall was expected on Wednesday evening local time in the northern county of Ylan.