Japan: Tropical storm Lan brings floods and chaos
August 15, 2023
A major tropical storm hit Japan's main island of Honshu early on Tuesday, with torrential downpours and violent gusts prompting landslide warnings and causing power outages and flight cancelations.
The storm, dubbed Lan, which has been downgraded from typhoon status, made landfall at 5 a.m. (2000 GMT) in Wakayama prefecture, about 600 kilometres (375 miles) west of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
What disruption has Typhoon Lan caused?
Lan has brought wind gusts of up to 144 kmh (90 mph) in addition to torrential rainfall and high waves, causing authorities to issue warnings in several regions.
"Please exercise extreme caution against landslides, surging water in low-lying areas, swollen and flooded rivers and violent winds," the weather agency said on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
A local utility reported that at least 50,000 households in seven regions had lost power as of Tuesday morning, while local commuter trains were stopped by flying debris.
Nearly 900 flights were suspended as planned, as were express train services.
More than 180,000 residents, especially in Wakayama, Kyoto and the ancient capital of Nara, were issued with non-compulsory evacuation notices.
The storm is expected to sweep over the region for all of Tuesday before moving out to the Sea of Japan.
tj/rt (Reuters, AFP)