Typhoon Shanshan: Japan calls on 4 million people to evacuate as storm threatens Kyushu with up to a metre of rain

Tokyo
CNN
—

Nearly 4 million people in southern Japan were urged to evacuate after Typhoon Shanshan made landfall Thursday, leaving thousands without power and battering the island of Kyushu with hurricane-force winds, torrential rain and dangerous storm surges.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a rare emergency warning for the slow-moving storm, saying it is expected to cause devastating flooding and landslides across much of Kyushu, the country’s southernmost main island, with record rainfall expected.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, high-speed train services suspended and major companies such as carmaker Toyota have closed factories.

Japanese authorities warned Thursday that a “life-threatening situation” was imminent in cities in Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu and urged 57,000 people to take “life-saving measures” as they issued their highest typhoon warning. A Level 4 evacuation notice, the second-highest alert level, is in effect for all of Kyushu, affecting 3.7 million residents.

At least one person was missing and dozens were injured on the island as of Thursday morning, local authorities said. Earlier this week, three people were killed in a landslide triggered by Shanshan’s destructive winds and rains.

Typhoon Shanshan has weakened as it moves slowly north across Kyushu, the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). The storm’s center is about 150 kilometers southeast of the city of Sasebo, after hitting the mainland with winds of up to 185 kph.

Video from Miyazaki, near where the storm made landfall, showed downed power pylons and roads strewn with tree branches and other debris.

Areas of Japan further away from the typhoon were also hit by its stationary bands of heavy rain.

In central Aichi Prefecture, a family of five was buried in a landslide that destroyed their home Tuesday night, according to the Gamagori city crisis management division. Three people, a couple in their 70s and a man in his 30s, died in the incident. Two women in their 40s were pulled from the rubble and survived, with one seriously injured.

Although Shanshan has weakened, it is moving slowly at 10 km/h (7 mph) and dumping huge amounts of rain on the island. Slower storms can be more destructive, with strong gusts or thunderstorms hitting the same areas for hours or days.

Rainfall has already reached more than 0.5 metres (20 inches) in many areas and forecasters say totals could reach up to 1 metre (40 inches) in some isolated and mountainous areas.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference Thursday that “record rainfall is expected” and authorities are trying to “assess the damage and implement emergency disaster measures.”

The storm has led to the cancellation of more than 700 flights and the closure of dozens of sections of major highways through Kyushu, Hayashi said. The Kyushu Shinkansen and Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen bullet trains have also been suspended.

“There are fears that the effects of the typhoon will spread further in the future,” Hayashi said.

More than 255,150 homes in Kyushu were without power as of Thursday morning, according to Kyushu Electric Power.

Automakers Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan are among the major companies that have suspended some operations at their factories due to the storm.

Shanshan is expected to track east across Kyushu, weakening to a tropical storm by late Thursday.

It will continue to move slowly over southwestern Japan, before crossing into more central regions over the weekend and even early next week as a much weaker storm.

The main threat in the rest of Japan will continue to be widespread and heavy rain, with some areas of Shikoku and Honshu expected to see precipitation exceeding 0.5 meters (20 inches).