Deadly Typhoon Shanshan Strikes Japan, Millions Issued With Evacuation Orders
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – As of midday Thursday EST at least four people have been killed, nearly 100 injured, and five million ordered to evacuate in southwestern Japan as Typhoon Shanshan made landfall on the island of Kyushu, the Independent UK reports. Bringing torrential rain and extremely high winds of up to 123 mph, Shanshan is one of the strongest typhoons to hit Japan in decades.
The path of the deadly storm has proved difficult to predict but it is expected to move toward central and eastern Japan, including the capital city Tokyo, the Independent said. Factories have been closed and hundreds of flights were cancelled as Shanshan made landfall on Thursday.
“Despite weakening since making landfall, the storm is moving northwards as slowly as 8mph, heightening the risk of flooding and landslides. Some areas already seen more than 700mm of rain, with fierce winds damaging houses, overturning cars and uprooting trees, while leaving 250,000 people without power,” the Independent said in its report.
Evacuation orders were issued for 27 cities in the Kagoshima Prefecture, and parts of Miyazaki Prefecture, including the entire city of Miyazaki, the Independent said.
Amid fears of landslides brought on by heavy rain, evacuation orders were also issued for the Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, despite their being further away from the eye of the storm, the Independent said.