Brace yourselves! Typhoon Shanshan has unleashed its fury on Japan, drenching the nation with torrential rains and whipping up fierce winds 🌬️. This powerful storm has caused chaos far beyond its center, triggering flood and landslide alerts in areas hundreds of miles away.
Imagine winds strong enough to flip moving trucks! 🚛💨 With gusts reaching up to 180 km/h (that's 112 mph!), Shanshan made landfall in the southwestern region of Kyushu on Thursday. Residents there woke up to a world turned upside down after a night of relentless rainfall and roaring winds.
Sadly, at least four people have lost their lives, and 99 others have been injured in incidents related to the storm over the past few days, according to Japan's disaster management agency.
In Kyushu, about 250,000 households were left in the dark ⚡️ on Thursday due to power outages. Fortunately, many have seen their lights come back on by Friday, thanks to the speedy work of Kyushu Electric Power Co.
But here's the twist: areas far from the storm's core are also getting soaked! 🌧️ The warm, moist air swirling around Shanshan has led to record-breaking rainfall in places like Shizuoka, which has seen over 500 millimeters of rain in just 72 hours—the highest since records began in 1976 📅.
More than 3.3 million people nationwide have been advised to evacuate, especially in Kyushu and central regions including Tokyo 🏙️ and Yokohama. Yet, as of Thursday, only about 30,000 people had moved to safety—a tiny fraction compared to those at risk.
Authorities are sounding the alarm 🚨 for possible landslides and overflowing rivers, urging residents to stay alert. The slow-moving nature of the typhoon means these heavy rains could stick around, increasing the danger.
Shanshan isn't just disrupting daily life; it's hitting the economy too. Major companies like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Renesas, Tokyo Electron, and Sony have hit the pause button ⏸️ on production at some of their factories. Airlines ✈️, including ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, have canceled hundreds of flights, and many ferry and rail services are suspended.
Travel plans? Expect delays! 🚫🛤️ Even the famous bullet train between Tokyo and Nagoya took a break on Friday morning.
And guess what? Typhoon Shanshan is showing no signs of stopping. The storm is expected to head towards central and eastern regions, possibly reaching Tokyo over the weekend and into early next week. Stay tuned and stay safe, Japan! 🙏
This extreme weather event comes hot on the heels of Typhoon Ampil earlier this month, which also caused blackouts and evacuations. It's been a tough time for Japan, but the resilience of its people shines through every storm. 🌟
Reference(s):
Typhoon Shanshan drenches Japan, prompting landslide and flood alerts
cgtn.com
