Heavy rains caused by a typhoon inundate fields along a river in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, western Japan, on August 29, 2024. | Photo credit: AP
A typhoon hit southern Japan on Thursday (August 29, 2024) with heavy rain and strong winds. which killed at least three people As it spread across the length of the archipelago, there were concerns of flooding, landslides and widespread damage.
Typhoon Shanshan hit the southern island of Kyushu in the morning, dumping about 60 centimetres (about 2 feet) of rain in parts of Miyazaki Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. “The 24-hour rainfall was above the average for August, and swollen rivers were a risk of flooding,” the agency said.
The storm devastated downtown Miyazaki city, knocking down trees, throwing parked cars over and breaking windows in some buildings. The prefectural disaster management task force said 40 buildings were damaged.
on the footage NHK State television showed the river in Yufu, a popular hot spring town in Oita prefecture, just north of Miyazaki, overflowing, with muddy water crashing into a bridge.
“The typhoon was expected to bring strong winds, high waves and heavy rain to much of the country, especially the southern prefectures of Kyushu. At noon, Shanshan was moving north at 15 kilometers per hour (9 mph) and its winds had weakened to 126 kilometers per hour (78 mph),” the JMA said.
“More than a dozen people were injured in Miyazaki, many of whom fell to the ground. One person each was also injured in nearby Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures while fleeing to shelters,” the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
“About 2.5 million households in Kyushu are without power, most of them in Kagoshima Prefecture,” Kyushu Electric Power Co. said.
Before the typhoon made landfall, heavy rain triggered a landslide that buried a house in the central city of Gamagori, killing three residents and injuring two others, according to the city’s disaster management department. “On the southern island of Amami, where the typhoon passed, a person was injured when a strong wind gust swept them off their motorcycle while they were riding it,” the FDMA said.
Weather and government officials are concerned about widespread damage as the typhoon slowly approaches the Japanese archipelago over the next few days, threatening floods and landslides. The storm’s impact has not yet been felt in the Tokyo area, where business is operating as normal and heavy rain is forecast later this week.
Disaster Management Minister Yoshifumi Matsumura said the typhoon could cause “unprecedented” levels of violent winds, high waves, storm surges and heavy rain. At a task force meeting on Wednesday (August 28, 2024), he urged people, especially the elderly, not to hesitate and seek shelter whenever there are any safety concerns.
Hundreds of domestic flights linking southwestern cities and islands were cancelled on Thursday, and bullet trains and some local train services were suspended. Similar measures were taken on Thursday in parts of the main island of Honshu, where heavy rain was falling. Postal and delivery services have also been suspended in the Kyushu region, and supermarkets and other stores are scheduled to close.