Authorities have issued a warning about “life-threatening” flooding due to the worst typhoon to hit landfall in Japan in recent memory and the strongest storm of this year.
With howling winds smashing windows and blowing tiles off houses, typhoon Shanshan struck Japan hard, causing dozens of injuries as rivers turned into raging torrents of water.
The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in recent memory and the strongest to make landfall this year, Kyushu, struck the country’s major southern island early on Thursday, bringing gusts as high as 198 kilometers per hour (123 miles per hour) in the late morning.
Authorities warned of “life-threatening” flooding, landslides, and storm surges, and in certain areas issued their highest alert level, urging hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
Three individuals were killed earlier in the week in a landslide caused by rains brought on by the typhoon that was approaching.
A disaster official stated that the coastal city of Miyazaki, which was covered in building rubble, had recorded 156 occurrences of building damage in addition to 26 injuries, some of which were caused by tornadoes.
NHK, a broadcaster, reported 39 wounded and one person missing.
None of the injuries were life-threatening; instead, they were mostly from windows being smashed by severe gusts. Nine injuries were recorded in adjacent Kagoshima, according to broadcaster NHK.
“Special cautions”
“The risk of a disaster due to heavy rain can rapidly escalate in western Japan as Friday approaches,” the Japan Meteorological Office issued a warning.
The JMA sent out “special warnings of violent storms, high waves, and high tides” for Kagoshima.
The JMA forecast a massive 1,100 millimeters (43 inches) of precipitation for southern Kyushu in the 48 hours leading up to Friday morning.
Since Tuesday, Shanshan’s heavy rains have been battering most of Japan.
Late on Tuesday, a landslide in Gamagori, a city in central Aichi prefecture, buried a house, resulting in the deaths of three family members, according to local media.
Two adult daughters in their 40s who survived with injuries were among the deceased, along with a couple in their 70s and a son in his 30s, according to Kyodo News.
39,100 passengers were impacted by the cancellation of 542 domestic flights between Japan Airlines and ANA on Thursday and Friday.
According to a research published last month, typhoons in the area have been emerging closer to coastlines, intensifying more quickly, and lasting longer over land as a result of the climate crisis.
