(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Nearly 4 million residents in southern Japan have been advised to evacuate as Typhoon Shanshan made landfall on Thursday. The storm has left thousands without power and is battering Kyushu island with hurricane-force winds, torrential rain, and hazardous storm surges.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a rare emergency warning for the slow-moving typhoon, predicting severe flooding and landslides across much of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's main islands, with record-breaking rainfall anticipated.
In response to the storm, hundreds of flights have been canceled, bullet train services have been halted, and major corporations, including automaker Toyota, have shut down their factories.
On Thursday, Japanese authorities warned of a“life-threatening situation” for towns in Oita prefecture on Kyushu island and urged 57,000 residents to take“life-saving actions” as they issued the highest level typhoon alert. A Level 4 evacuation advisory, the second-highest alert, is in effect for all of Kyushu, impacting approximately 3.7 million people.
As of Thursday morning, at least one person is missing and dozens have been injured across the island, according to local government reports. Earlier in the week, three individuals were killed in a landslide caused by Shanshan's powerful winds and rains.
Typhoon Shanshan, currently weakening, is moving north through Kyushu as a Category 1 Atlantic Hurricane equivalent, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). The storm's center is located about 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Sasebo, with winds reaching up to 185 kph (115 mph) at landfall.
Video footage from Miyazaki, near the storm's landfall site, revealed downed power lines and roads littered with tree branches and debris.
Even areas farther from the typhoon's center have been impacted by its bands of intense, stationary rainfall.
In central Aichi prefecture, a family of five was buried in a landslide that demolished their home late Tuesday, according to Gamagori City's Crisis Management Division. The incident resulted in the deaths of three individuals: a couple in their 70s and a 30-year-old man. Two women in their 40s were rescued from the debris, with one sustaining severe injuries.
Despite weakening, Typhoon Shanshan is advancing slowly at just 10 kph (7 mph) and continues to dump massive amounts of rain on Kyushu. Slow-moving storms can be particularly destructive, causing prolonged heavy rain and strong gusts that batter the same areas for extended periods.
Rainfall has already exceeded 0.5 meters (20 inches) in many locations, with forecasts predicting totals could reach up to 1 meter (40 inches) in some isolated and hilly regions.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi announced in a news conference on Thursday that“record-breaking rainfall is expected” and that authorities are working to“assess the state of damage and implement emergency disaster response measures.”
The storm has led to the cancellation of over 700 flights and the closure of numerous sections of major highways across Kyushu. Additionally, services on the Kyushu Shinkansen and Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen bullet trains have been suspended.
“There are fears that the effects of the typhoon may spread further in the future,” Hayashi said.
As of Thursday morning, over 255,150 households in Kyushu were without power, according to Kyushu Electric Power.
Major automakers including Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Nissan have suspended some operations at their factories in the storm's path.
Typhoon Shanshan is projected to shift eastward and continue moving through Kyushu, weakening to a tropical storm by the end of Thursday. It will progress slowly over southwestern Japan before moving into central regions over the weekend and into early next week as a much weaker storm.
The primary concern for the rest of Japan will be substantial rainfall, with areas in Shikoku and Honshu expected to receive over 0.5 meters (20 inches) of rain.
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