Typhoon Shanshan barrels into Japan, triggering rare warnings
Nearly 1 million people in Japan were under evacuation orders Thursday morning as Typhoon Shanshan approached the mainland with hurricane-force winds, torrential rain and the threat of landslides, with authorities warning that the storm could produce a large-scale disaster.
Meteorological officials issued rare emergency warnings for the powerful storm as it churned north along the shore of Kyushu, the southernmost main island of Japan, on Thursday.
Emergency warnings were issued for storm surge and high waves in Kagoshima prefecture, and are the highest category of warnings possible in Japan. Such advisories are usually issued only once every few decades in a given region, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
In central Japan, a family of five was buried Wednesday after a landslide toppled their house. Two daughters survived, but one sustained serious injuries, broadcaster NHK reported.
Shanshan may make landfall in Kyushu by Friday, the agency said. The storm weakened as it skirted the coast Thursday morning, but its slow pace means it will lash some areas with relentless rain for hours, elevating threats of flooding.
Authorities issued evacuation orders for about 990,000 people across southern, western and central Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Eight cities and towns, mostly on the Amami Islands south of the mainland, had ordered residents to evacuate, NHK reported. More than 234,000 customers were without power in Kyushu on Thursday morning.
Toyota announced that it would pause production at all 14 of its Japan factories starting Wednesday evening, to protect the safety of its workers.
The powerful storm had sustained winds of up to 97 mph Thursday, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. In some cities in central and eastern Japan, up to 10 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour window from Tuesday into Wednesday. Some cities in Japan saw winds of up to 86 mph, equivalent to those of a Category 1 hurricane.
Heavy rain is expected to continue after Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, when the region could see a record-breaking 39 inches of rain, mainly in southern Kyushu.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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