Authorities are warning of “unprecedented” waves and winds from Typhoon Nanmadol, urging four million people on the island of Kyushu to evacuate.
At least four million people in southern Japan have been ordered to evacuate as a powerful typhoon hits the area, unleashing strong winds and torrential rains that have caused power outages and paralyzed land and air transportation.
The super typhoon was near the southern island of Yakushima, carrying maximum surface winds of 162 kph (101 mph) as it slowly moved north to Kyushu, the country’s third-largest island and the country’s southernmost, where it could make landfall later in the day. today. The Japan Meteorological Agency said on Sunday.
Nanmadol is expected to head east and reach Tokyo on Tuesday.
NHK said local authorities have ordered four million people living in Kyushu to evacuate, and the JMA predicted the island would receive up to 500 mm (20 inches) of rain and winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour).
The agency also warned residents of the stricken area of floods, landslides and “unprecedented” levels of strong winds and waves, and urged them to evacuate early.
The local authorities have not announced any major damage or injuries so far.
And in hard-hit Kagoshima Prefecture, more than 9,000 residents took refuge in evacuation centers on Sunday. In neighboring Miyazaki Prefecture, another 4,700 people were evacuated.
Kyushu Electric Power Corporation said more than 93,000 homes across the island were without power on Sunday due to damage to power lines and utilities.
Footage broadcast by NHK television showed the pachinko pinball gym, part of its glass wall being shattered by gusts of wind in Kanoya, Kagoshima. NHK said an elderly woman suffered minor injuries elsewhere in the province when she fell.
Hundreds of domestic flights to and from the region have been canceled, and more are scheduled to be grounded in western Japan through Tuesday as the typhoon heads to the northeast, according to Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways.
Public transportation, including trains and buses, was suspended in Kagoshima and Miyazaki throughout Sunday.
Rail operators said express trains in Kyushu have been suspended.
The storm is expected to veer east and pass over Japan’s main island of Honshu early next week before moving out to sea by Wednesday.
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