Typhoon Goni has slammed into Japan with wind gusts topping 112 m.p.h. and has left as many as 26 people dead and over 100 injured.
Officials in Japan urged more than 600,000 people to flee their homes and to seek shelter.
The storm made landfall around 6 a.m. in Kumamoto prefecture. The storm then crossed over one of the country’s four main islands before heading into the sea of Japan and striking North and South Korea.
The storm essentially paralyzed the country, with air and rail service suspended during the course of the storm. Over 470,000 homes were without power at one point during the storm’s crossing of the nation.
Officials say at least one man is confirmed missing and presumed dead in a landslide caused by the torrential rain. The city of Hiroshima ordered the evacuation of 70,000 because of potential landslides.
The storm had previously left 26 dead in the Philippines with 15 still reported as missing. Thousands of homes were destroyed and hundreds of thousands have been left with no shelter because of storm damage.
The typhoon is beginning to break up as the eye has collapsed but heavy rain is still pouring into North and South Korea. North Korean officials say that at least 40 people have died because of storm related flooding and over 1,000 homes have been damaged.
Officials are praising the fact only four people lost their lives from Typhoon Hagupit.
Over a million residents of the Philippines were evacuated ahead of the storm as officials put into place protocols created after the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan.
“We saw that with preparation and being alert we prevented tragedy and harm, we took our countrymen away from harm,” added Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas. “It is sad to hear news of deaths, but this is very low, way below what the potential was.”
Gwendolyn Pang, the secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, said that it’s obvious people learned lessons and put them into practice.
Over 7,300 people were confirmed dead or are still missing from 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan.
Jipapad mayor Delia Monleon revealed that floodwaters are preventing people from getting to their homes.
“Our problem is power, food is a problem because boats cannot leave,” Monleon told Christian Post. “It was flooded yesterday so we can’t leave to look for food.”
Typhoon Vongfong has roared into Japan leaving a trail of flooding, damage and death.
The storm struck the Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu prefects on Monday. At least one person is missing and presumed dead and 61 people were injured in the initial waves of the storm.
The storm struck on the last day of a three-day holiday weekend. The city of Shizuoka ordered 212,000 households making up over 506,000 people to leave ahead of the storm.
Railway service across the nation was suspended in preparation for the storm.
The storm is weakening rapidly as it moves across the nation; it had been downgraded to Tropical Storm status around noon eastern time.
A major typhoon roared into the Philippines, leaving a dozen dead in its wake.
Typhoon Ramassun struck land with sustained winds of 93 miles per hour with gusts that topped 115 miles per hour. The storm knocked out power to most of the nation, flattened buildings and brought massive flooding to areas outside the nation’s capital, Manila.
Government officials said that the death toll is likely to rise because hundreds are missing in the wake of the storm. A family of four died when their home collapsed on top of them. A woman died when she was fleeing down the street and an electric pole fell on her.
Officials say the death toll will likely be lower because after last year’s devastating Typhoon Haiyan, residents took the warnings of a typhoon much more serious than in previous storms.
The storm moved through the country and headed toward Vietnam as a weakened storm. However, forecasters say the storm could strengthen again and cause major problems to southwest Asia.
Typhoon Neoguri slammed Japan’s southern islands, and is now on a war path to the mainland.
Although the storm will no longer be called a super typhoon by the time it reaches the mainland, residents should still expect heavy rain, wind damage, power outages, and flooding Wednesday and Thursday.
“I’m calling the heads of municipalities not to hesitate in issuing evacuation warnings and don’t be afraid of being overcautious, “ said Keiji Furuya, the state minister in charge of disaster management.
Brg. Gen. James Hecker warned residents to take serious precautions.
“During the typhoon, do not go outside…anything not tied down, even small items, could become deadly projectiles.”
Okinawa and other islands in the Ryukyu Island chain south of Japan were hit with sustained winds of over 70 mph on Tuesday when the strongest typhoon of 2014 struck.
Typhoon Neoguri shattered buildings, damaged stores, and toppled trees as it made its way through the islands.
The Japan Times reported parts of Nagasaki recorded the heaviest rainfall in 50 years with over six inches of rain falling in three hours. Landslides and flash flooding was also reported.
Orders to evacuate to safer shelter were given to 540,000 people in the Okinawa Prefecture and 107,300 people were without power Tuesday night.
Americans stationed at Kadena Air Base were also prepared for the storm. They evacuated aircraft to other bases.
On the base’s website, Birg. Gen. James Hecker gave this statement: “I can’t stress enough how dangerous this typhoon may be when it hits Okinawa. This is the most powerful typhoon forecast to hit the island in 15 years; we expect damaging winds to arrive by early Tuesday morning.”
Currently there has been only one death when a man’s boat was overtaken by high waves from the storm, according to Reuters. Local news reports 25 injuries in the Okinawa Prefecture at this time.
Typhoon Neoguri is expected to hit Mainland Japan by Wednesday night.
Chinese media is reporting at least five dead and four confirmed missing in the wake of Typhoon Fitow.
The tropical cyclone struck early Monday with sustained winds of more than 93 m.p.h. Officials said homes were flattened and many villages were completely flooded by the massive rainfall.
More than 4.5 million people were impacted by the floodwater.
Officials in the Fujian and Zhejiang provinces say economic losses have already reached $3.4 billion dollars.
State media said shrimp farms and seaweed farms were destroyed by the storm.
“We have basically lost everything this year,” a seaweed farmer told the BBC.
Hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens fled the coastlines as authorities issued a red alert due to Typhoon Fitow.
The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 93 m.p.h., made landfall around 1:15 a.m. local time Monday. Forecasters predict as much as 8 inches of rain falling in the early morning hours across three provinces along the southwest coast.
At least two port workers are reported missing in Zhejiang province with many homes already destroyed. Power is reportedly out across hundreds of miles.
Over 750,000 residents of the three provinces were forced to evacuate by Chinese police and military.
Guangdong province, which neighbors the province where the storm’s eye made landfall, had 25 people die when Typhoon Usagi struck just weeks ago.
Over 400,000 people have been forced to leave their homes after Typhoon Man-yi struck central Japan.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency said the country received “an unprecedented amount of rainfall” in central prefectures of Kyoto, Fukui and Shiga. In some places three inches of rain fell per hour. Continue reading →
In a pattern of worsening typhoon seasons across the globe, the capital of Mali has been hit with flash flooding being called “the worst case for several years.” Continue reading →