The southern island of Kyushu has been hit by one of the strongest typhoons ever to batter Japan.
Typhoon Nanmadol has brought winds of at least 180 kilometers per hour (112 miles per hour), and certain places could receive 500 millimeters (20 inches) of precipitation between Sunday and Monday.
At least four million individuals have been ordered to leave their homes.
Extensive flooding and landslides are anticipated, and hundreds of flights, bullet train services, and ferries have been canceled.
Sunday morning, the storm made landfall at Kagoshima, on the southern tip of Kyushu.
Kyushu is the most populous of Japan’s four main islands, with a population of over 13 million.
The Japan Times claims that authorities had issued a “special alert” for the island, the first ever issued outside the Okinawa Prefecture, which consists of smaller, more distant Japanese islands in the East China Sea.
The Meteorological Agency of Japan said that Nanmadol would bring torrential rain, storm surges along the coast, and winds so strong that there was a danger of homes collapsing.
An official from the city of Izumi stated that situations were fast deteriorating on Sunday afternoon.
“The wind has grown quite powerful. Rain is also dropping heavily “He said to AFP. “There is a complete whiteout outside. The visibility is nearly nil.”
The typhoon is currently heading north through Kyushu, dumping massive volumes of rain on the island’s mountainous interior.
In the coming days, it is anticipated to pass through central Japan towards Tokyo while retaining a significant amount of strength.
The rain, which is already causing rivers to swell and might trigger landslides and mudslides, poses the greatest risk to life and property.
People across Kyushu have been advised to seek refuge in shelters; however, evacuation warnings are not mandatory, and in the past, authorities have struggled to persuade people to seek shelter before major weather occurrences.
Sunday evening, utility firms reported that about 200,000 houses were without electricity.
In a statement, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged citizens to “evacuate immediately if they feel in any way threatened.”
“I urge [everyone] to avoid traveling near regions that pose potential dangers, such as rivers and other waterways and landslide-prone areas,” he warned.
“Evacuation at nighttime is particularly hazardous. Before dark, I encourage the populace to evacuate to a safe location.”
Nanmadol is the fourteenth Pacific typhoon to hit Japan this season and by far the largest.
An official from Japan’s meteorological service stated on Saturday that it had the potential to be worse than both Typhoon Jebi in 2018, which killed 14 people, and Typhoon Hagibis in 2019, which caused extensive power outages.
The nation is well-prepared to deal with such storms, but climate change is making them larger and more devastating, according to scientists.
