Japan Authorities Warn Of Landslides and Flooding After Devastating Typhoon
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TOKYO (Worthy News) – Japanese authorities warned Thursday of landslides and floods in many parts of southwestern Japan after “one of the biggest typhoons in recent years” killed four people and forced the evacuation of more than 4.1 million nationwide.
Tropical storm Shanshan had peaked at a strength equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, with the Japan Meteorological Agency reporting that its maximum sustained winds hit 252 kilometers (156 miles) per hour when it made landfall early Thursday near the city of Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture on the southwestern island of Kyushu.
Officials said the winds quickly dropped to about 182 kilometers (113 miles) per hour as the storm moved inland.
It was forecast to move north through Kyushu before shifting east on Friday and Saturday, moving further inland and losing strength.
However, by then, Shanshan had lashed southern Japan with record rainfall and powerful winds on Thursday, devastating the area.
As millions were ordered to leave their homes, the storm flooded towns, knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes, and disrupted travel.
More than 200,000 households in seven prefectures were without power in the afternoon, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co. The utility earlier said there was no impact at its Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai city.
SEVERAL KILLED
At least four people were unable to escape the impact of the weather, including three who died after a landslide buried their home in Gamagori, a city in central Japan that was hit by heavy rain, the local government said early Thursday.
Another person died after a roof collapsed in Kamiita Town, according to Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK.
“This is one of the biggest typhoons in recent years for a prefecture that experiences many typhoons every year,” said Kensei Tomisako, a disaster response official in Satsumasendai.
More than 80 people were reportedly injured in the storm, and one person was missing Thursday.
Japan Airlines, one of the country’s largest airlines, canceled all flights to and from Nagasaki and seven other cities in Shanshan’s path on Thursday and said that many flights to and from 20 cities across the country on Friday had already been canceled.
All Nippon Airways also canceled all flights scheduled at Kansai International Airport for Friday.
Shinkansen bullet train service was suspended on Thursday for all of Kyushu and between Tokyo and Osaka because of heavy rain. Many train lines linking major cities in western Japan, including Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima, were also suspended.
On Wednesday, the authorities issued rare emergency warnings for the storm in Kagoshima Prefecture, indicating that “a large-scale disaster was possible, noticed the Japan Meteorological Agency. The warnings were downgraded on Thursday morning, but much of Japan remained on high alert during these turbulent times for the Asian nation.