TOKYO, Aug 14 — An approaching typhoon battered communities along Japan’s Pacific coast today with heavy rain and crashing waves, prompting authorities to warn about landslides and flooding.
On track to hit the main island of Honshu early Tuesday, Lan was expected to dump up to 40 centimetres of rain in the 24 hours to 6am Tuesday in some areas, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Some towns would see gusts up to 162 kilometres per hour today, picking up to 180 kph tomorrow when the system makes slams into Honshu, the agency said.
The storm was forecast to make landfall on the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula, some 600 kilometres west of Tokyo, before making a beeline inland for Osaka, western Japan’s main city.
Late this morning, one municipality in the Wakayama region started calling on local elderly people to consider evacuating their homes for public shelters.
The approaching typhoon has also prompted the cancellation of public transport services tomorrow, causing headaches for holidaymakers during the traditional “obon” travel week.
Annually, millions of families return to their hometowns during this season, but some people decided to shorten their vacations and returned to cities Monday before the typhoon strikes.
Japan Airlines said it cancelled 19 flights for today and 240 flights tomorrow. Its rival All Nippon Airways also planned to announce cancellations later.
Various sections of high-speed “Shinkansen” bullet train services are also due to be suspended on Tuesday, especially in regions surrounding the regional business hubs of Osaka and Nagoya on Honshu island.
As of this morning, Lan was 260 kilometres southeast of Cape Shionomisaki on the Kii Peninsula, packing gusts up to 198 kph. — AFP
