Typhoon Shanshan Hits Japan, Triggering Widespread Disruptions And Evacuations

Typhoon Shanshan unleashed heavy rainfall across Japan on Friday, sparking warnings of flooding and landslides far from the storm’s centre. The powerful storm disrupted travel services, shut down major factories, and prompted widespread evacuations.

In the southwestern region of Kyushu, where authorities warn that Shanshan could be one of the strongest storms to ever hit the area, residents in Fukuoka city were sheltering indoors. The usually bustling streets were eerily quiet, with shops closed and public transport halted.

Kokoro Osoegawa, a 21-year-old university student, found herself stranded near Fukuoka’s train station. “There are no trains because of the typhoon so my parents are coming to pick me up,” she said. “I’ve never experienced all the trains stopping before.”

The storm has claimed at least three lives and injured 78 people in storm-related incidents over recent days, according to Japan’s disaster management agency. Shanshan brought with it wind speeds of up to 180 km per hour (112 mph), powerful enough to topple moving trucks.

By 8:45 a.m. local time, the typhoon was located near Kunisaki in Oita Prefecture, moving northeast. Around 125,000 households across seven prefectures in Kyushu were left without power, Kyushu Electric Power Co. reported.

Authorities are particularly concerned about heavy rains affecting areas far from the storm’s centre, exacerbated by Shanshan’s slower-than-expected movement across the country. More than 4 million people have been advised to prepare for evacuation, spanning from Kyushu to the capital, Tokyo, and nearby Yokohama. Landslides are a significant risk in Yokohama due to the continuous downpour.

However, as of Thursday, only about 30,000 people had evacuated, primarily in Kyushu, disaster management minister Yoshifumi Matsumura stated. The storm is expected to move towards central and eastern Japan, including Tokyo, over the weekend.

The storm has also led to the suspension of operations at major factories, including those of Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Renesas, Tokyo Electron, and Sony. All domestic Toyota plants have been shut down due to the storm. Additionally, hundreds of flights have been cancelled by airlines such as ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, alongside the suspension of many ferry and rail services, including the bullet train between Tokyo and Nagoya.

Among those affected was Lin Yue-Hua, a 60-year-old tourist from Taiwan, whose flight from Fukuoka was cancelled. “We were very worried and upset because we didn’t know what to do,” Lin said. “Our flight from Taiwan couldn’t land in Japan and flew back after circling the area for 40 minutes. Now, we are trying to find a way home.”

Typhoon Shanshan follows closely on the heels of Typhoon Ampil, which earlier this month also caused widespread blackouts and evacuations across Japan.

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